


For Love and Redemption

by Peritales



Series: For Series [2]
Category: Stephanie Plum - Janet Evanovich
Genre: Explicit Language, F/M, Smut, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-20 10:20:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 39,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30003378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Peritales/pseuds/Peritales
Summary: Ranger's dangerous past finally caught up to him. Stephanie has been left to deal with the fallout and she is caught in a web of danger and lies. This a story about the complexities of navigating loss, finding, love and learning to build a new life. This is a story about love, loss, and redemption.
Relationships: Ricardo Carlos Manoso/Stephanie Plum, Stephanie Plum/ Rafe Montero, Stephanie Plum/Lester Santos
Series: For Series [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2206806





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: This a Stephanie Plum FanFiction Story. All recognizable characters belong to the fabulous Janet Evanovich. I am just borrowing her amazing characters for a while. I'm grateful she allows us to play with her characters.
> 
> Warning: Adult language, adult situations, some violence, some smut, may not be for the faint of heart.
> 
> A/N: This story picks up after the events of For Fortune and Love. The characters are a lot more serious and the material is much darker.
> 
> This series is cross-posted to FanFiction.net under Peritales

I felt warm, strong arms around me. Holding me tight. I felt loved and protected. A whisper of a familiar scent tickled my nose and I snuggled into the warm, loving arms. A hand stoked down my body and I felt desire bloom, liquid and hot. I moaned and whispered "I love you Ranger."

Suddenly, I was ripped from the safe haven of those strong arms, and I was running and running. I was in a forest and I was lost. Branches were whipping at my arms and stinging my face. I was stumbling over unfamiliar ground. Hunted by evil. I could feel the malevolent presence behind me. Its putrid breath on my neck. My breath was coming in gulping pants as I ran aimlessly through the dark night with an unknown predator stalking me.

I burst through a clearing and skidded to a stop. I was standing on a frozen pond. I stood there watching helplessly as the ice around me began to crack, and spiderweb out around me. I felt the ice give way and I was engulfed in icy cold water. Surrounded by inky blackness. I didn't know which way was up. Panic clawed at me momentarily. I couldn't breathe. My lungs were on fire and I knew I was going to die. I didn't care. I stopped fighting and let myself sink into the inky black depths of oblivion. I'm coming Ranger. Soon I'll be with you, back in your arms.

I jerked awake panting and sweating. It was another nightmare. The same recurrent nightmare I'd had for months. I looked around and I was alone.

Ranger had been gone for one year, nine months, and four days.

Ricardo Carlos Manoso, street name Ranger. Former special forces, turned bounty hunter, turned business man. Over the years our relationship had been many things. Ranger had been my mentor, protector, employer, lover, and my almost husband.

Ranger and I spent years circling each other denying our feelings. Ranger didn't do long-term commitments and I didn't do casual sex. In the end, it turns out we were both idiots. A force far greater than either of us had pulled us together. We were twin flames, destined to be together, and I guess in the end, destined to burn hot, but quick.

I loved Ranger and he loved me. We decided to build a life together, and we had. A wonderful life. At least while it lasted. We were two halves that just fit together. After three months of living together, Ranger and I got engaged and moved from Trenton to Washington DC to open a new branch of RangeMan.

RangeMan is the name of Ranger's security firm. Well, my security firm now, I guess.

I heaved out a sigh. A lot had happened in the one year, nine months, and four days that Ranger had been gone. A lot had changed. I had changed. Some for the better. Some not.

Ranger had a lot to answer for. I felt guilty at that thought. How stupid was it to be angry at a dead man? No, I corrected myself. Presumed dead. That was easier to accept. I had always believed Ranger and I had a connection. I could feel Ranger's presence, and even though I was told he was dead, I didn't always believe it. Logically, I knew it was true, but I still felt the connection and I still felt his presence. That belief had given me hope, but I was starting to begin to accept it was just wishful thinking. Ranger was never coming home.

My name is Stephanie Manoso. I am a former lingerie buyer, turned bounty hunter, turned business woman. I am an almost widow. OK, it is really Stephanie Plum since Ranger and I were never legally married, but I go by Manoso now. It makes me feel closer to Ranger, it makes running RangeMan easier, and it suits me better.

Stephanie Plum was a light-hearted Jersey girl that was impulsive and relied on her intuition and luck. I am no longer that girl. That girl died when Ranger died.

When Ranger and I moved to DC to open the new RangeMan office, Ranger brought me in as his partner. We were doing well and branching out.

RangeMan sits in a non-descript building on K Street. Near the nerve and power center of the country. Powerful people have powerful enemies and RangeMan is there to protect them. We decided to focus on personal security, some corporate security, babysitting and transporting Federal witnesses, and the occasional Kidnap and Ransom recovery.

Ranger and I had set a date and were planning our wedding. We wanted to go back to Miami and get married on the beach, for real this time. We bought a little house on the water in Annapolis Maryland. We were happy, or at least I was. Ranger had kept me at arm's length for years because he didn't believe his lifestyle was conducive to relationships. In retrospect Ranger was probably right. Ranger was always right.

No, I shook my head at the thought. That isn't fair. If Ranger and I had never found our way to each other, I would have still grieved the same because I had been prime-time in love with Ranger for years. It wouldn't have mattered. My soul would have still been ripped from my body, and I would have never had the joy of being with him. It would have been my loss. I was grateful for every minute that we had spent together. I thought we had a lifetime. It turns out we didn't, but I wouldn't trade one minute of that time together.

Ranger had been asked to take one last assignment by his government handlers. His job was to take out the leaders of one of the most vicious Cartels. They dealt in drugs, guns, and little girls.

Ranger and I fought about it. We had agreed to move the busines to safer work that didn't require Ranger to be "in the wind" for months. Ranger said he was obligated, that he had to do it. He promised that once this job was done, his contract was fulfilled and we were free to live the life we wanted. The truth was, I knew Ranger believed it was his obligation to right the wrongs in this world, and last contract or not he would have done it anyway.

Ranger gave me power of attorney for all his businesses, finances, and property. I had cried, and Ranger had left. Six months in, contact had been lost. Ranger had not checked in.

Burned bodies were found in a mass grave, and it was determined an unidentified mole had outed Ranger and the other undercover agents working the case. Ranger's body along with at least one other agent was never recovered. He was listed as missing in action and presumed dead.

Well over a year later, no one had seen or heard from Ranger including me. Because the work was classified, that is all I knew, and probably all I would ever know. Ranger had likely died a gruesome death in some hellhole buried in a mass grave never to be found. That was just the way it was.

Tank and Lester Santos had come to DC with us to set-up the new RangeMan office, and had stayed to help me when Ranger left.

Tank had been Ranger's right-hand man, and now he was mine. Tank was built like a tank and skilled like Ranger. He was also incredibly smart and had a head for business. If it hadn't been for Tank, RangeMan would have never survived and neither would I. I asked Tank once why he stuck with me instead of heading his own security firm. He had just smiled and said simply this is what Ranger had wanted. Ranger trusted me, Ranger chose me and that was good enough for him.

Tank and Lester had been there through the ups and downs and the grief with me. At first, I thought they were loyal to me because they were loyal to Ranger. Now, I think of them as family. The only family I will ever have I thought sadly.

Lately, Tank and Lester had been pushing me to declare Ranger dead, invoke the provisions of his estate and move forward. I'd resisted. Declaring him dead seemed so final. It seemed like a betrayal. I couldn't, I wouldn't give up on him. Besides, I knew the provisions of his estate indicated that if he was missing for two years his estate automatically transferred. So, time would take care of all that anyway. This provision didn't surprise me. Ranger had always been a planner. He had always known this was a possibility.

What had surprised me was that everything came to me. All the assets and all the responsibilities including providing for Ranger's ex-wife and child. It had always been that way since very shortly after I met Ranger. Long before we were a couple, apparently Ranger and I had been in a relationship. I just didn't know it. I bit back the tears that threatened. We had wasted so much time.

I looked over at the clock. It was 3:30AM. I sighed, I may as well get up. Roll call was at 5:30AM and it would give me a chance to work out before the day started. I wasn't going back to sleep anyway. Sleep had become an elusive creature.

I rolled out of bed and went into the bathroom and stared at my reflection. Dark circles were stark beneath my eyes, my face was gaunt. I'd lost too much weight again, and my blue eyes seemed dull as they stared back at me.

After Ranger went missing, I had moved out of the house in Annapolis to an apartment at the K Street building. It made things easier, and it was less lonely. It was a modern, minimalistic apartment. Light colors and sleek lines. No photos, no mementos and no favorite coffee mug. Just the stark reality that was now my life.

I got in the shower and stood under the scalding water, wishing away the memories, the loss and the loneliness. I picked up the unscented soap and scrubbed away. After losing Ranger, I had banished his favorite Bvlgari show gel. Just the smell brought fresh waves of grief and longing so stark it took my breath. It was the little things that still got to me after all this time.

I dried off and pulled my still wet hair into a ponytail. I pulled on my standard RangeMan uniform of black cargo pants, black t-shirt, and black bates boots.

Whoever had invented coffee makers that started on a timer was a god as far as I was concerned. I wandered into the kitchen and grabbed a cup of black coffee. I looked in the fridge. I knew I needed to eat something, but nothing seemed appealing so I drank the coffee, and headed down to the gym.


	2. Chapter 2

I was surprised to see Les already in the gym. When I walked in, he looked up and gave me a smile. I smiled back and my heart stuttered. Lester Santos was Ranger's cousin and he look so much like him that it stole my breath and broke my heart sometimes.

Sometimes I'd catch a glimpse of Les and think it was Ranger, but then reality would hit me like a brick. Les was far more outgoing than Ranger, but I had learned charm is what he uses to keep people at a distance and keep his secrets.

Ranger had always been a man of few words that never telegraphed his thoughts or emotions. On the surface Les seemed affable and talkative. He seemed very easy going and loved to charm the women. But that was just a façade. You realized after you chatted with Les that you had told him your whole life story, and when you were done you still didn't know a damn thing about him. Like Ranger he was a private guy. He was also a focused and lethal predator.

I think Les knew that sometimes it was hard for me to be around him. Sometimes it was even a little confusing, but Les was family. Well, he had almost been family.

Les had been the one to go with me to tell Rachel, Ranger's ex-wife, and his daughter Julie that Ranger was missing and presumed dead.

It had been Les that took the lead when we had to tell Ranger's family – his parents, siblings, and huge extended family that Ranger was missing and presumed dead.

And, it had been Les that was with me when I had lost my baby. A few weeks after Ranger left, I found out I was pregnant. Ranger and I hadn't been trying, but then we hadn't been doing anything to stop it either. We had decided to just let fate decide. I was ecstatic and couldn't wait to share the news the next time I talked with Ranger.

I had never gotten that opportunity. Six months after Ranger left, he was dead. I say my baby, because that is what he was. I was the only one of his parents that ever knew he existed, and I was the only one of his parents that had grieved.

I don't know if it was the shock and grief, or if it was just never meant to be. After I was notified by some government drone in an ill-fitting suit that the man I loved with every fiber of my being was never coming back, I had a late term miscarriage. Fate had apparently made a decision.

It was Les that rushed me to the hospital when I woke up terrified knowing something was wrong. It was Les that held my hand and wiped a cool cloth on my forehead as I gave birth to a stillborn baby boy. It was Les that held me while I blankly stared at my dead son and said goodbye. It was Les that made all the funeral arrangements because I was too numb to function.

So that was the rub. When I was in the throes of grief and the haze of drugs, I had confused Les with Ranger and called out to him. Les had just held me and stroked my back, whispering to me in Spanish. I had clung to him like a lifeline. Clung to him believing he was Ranger.

We have never spoken about it, but I know he understands that sometimes looking at him makes my heart ache. Les is all I have left, and I know to some degree he feels responsible for me. Ranger left me in his and Tank's care, and that was a responsibility they both take very seriously.

I looked down at my hand. I still wore Ranger's engagement ring. I absently twisted it on my finger. It had been Ranger's Grandmother's. I should probably give it back to Ranger's parents. It wasn't fair for me to keep it.

"Querida are you OK?" Les asked.

"I'm fine" I replied. "Let's work on my hand-to-hand."

Les nodded. I took the ring off and put it with my towel and approached Les on the mat. We worked out for about an hour. Les helping me with my self-defense and hand-to-hand close quarters combat moves.

A lot had changed since Ranger left. I had learned the security business and even grown RangeMan. I'd expanded the personal protection piece of the business, and decided I needed to be in the field. I wanted to understand all aspects of the business, and I wasn't going to send men out into the field without knowing firsthand the challenges and risks.

It was also good for business. There were places a woman worked better. Places a man couldn't go especially when protecting female senators or other female dignitaries. I'd worked hard to improve my skills, and had become pretty proficient. I still had a long way to go, but I was beginning to be able to really hold my own.

While I knew Les and Tank were proud of me, this hadn't been an easy conversation. Being in the field put me in danger. Something neither were comfortable with. They had sworn an oath to Ranger to protect me with their lives, and sending me out to do dangerous work went against the grain. Eventually they had given in. It was something I needed. After I lost the baby, I needed a focus. I needed a purpose. I needed an outlet for my rage and grief.

"Let's call it" Les said after about an hour. "We need to get you some breakfast."

"I'm not hungry."

Les cupped my chin and forced me to look up into his face. "You're getting too skinny again. Please, you need to eat something."

I nodded yes, simply because I couldn't speak. Looking into Les' eyes was like looking in Ranger's eyes. It was disconcerting. Besides I reasoned he had said please.

I walked over, picked up my ring and slipped it back on. I grabbed my towel. "I need a quick shower. I'll meet you in my office" I said and raced off like the hounds of hell were on my ass.

Fifteen minutes later, I met Les in my office. Les had grabbed me scrambled eggs and whole wheat toast. He brought them to my office along with his own heaping plate. He sat the plate in front of me and pointedly handed me a fork.

I sighed. I knew Les wouldn't leave or give up until I ate the eggs, so I did. The eggs, like everything else I ate, tasted largely like sawdust but I forced them down. One of the reasons Les was so good at his job was Les would set a goal and with single minded focus ensure it got done. Les had been special forces and he could be scary and intimidating when needed.

I finished off the eggs and gave him a pointed look. "Happy now" I asked.

"Yes ma'am!" he said and flashed me one of his 1000-watt smiles. "See you at roll call" and he took my empty plate and left.

I walked into the conference room for roll call and the day's assignments. The minute I walked in Tank greeted me "Boss" he said and a hush settled over the room. Tank always called me boss. He did that to show respect. Respect he demanded from every man that worked for me. Being a woman in the security business was hard enough, but being a woman with no military or real law enforcement experience put me at a distinct disadvantage.

"Report" I barked.

Tank ran down the list of jobs and personnel assigned. I made a couple of adjustments and then told Tank I was working the Senator Lashley assignment myself. Senator Lashley was a RangeMan client. She had hired us for personal security after she began receiving letters and death threats.

Senator Lashley had acquired herself a stalker with fringe political beliefs. To no one's surprise, the capital police had been largely useless, and the Senator had realized she needed more security than they could provide. The Senator had afternoon appointments and then an evening fundraiser. An event RangeMan would have preferred she cancelled, but she had refused. I assigned myself to the event.

Tank and Les briefly locked eyes and nodded. The rest of the team was dismissed and Tank and Les stayed behind to talk with me. I knew what was coming.

Tank spoke first. "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked. "The guy is escalating. The fundraiser is a security nightmare. If he is as organized and motivated as his profile suggests, this will be a perfect opportunity for him to take his shot."

"Yes" I replied.

"Steph" Tank said "this guy is dangerous."

"Yes" I was starting to get irritated. "He is dangerous and it is my job to protect the Senator, and that is what I am going to do. I don't know how many times we have to have the same conversation."

"At least take Les with you tonight" Tank implored.

"Fine" I said with finality. I too had become proficient at one-word answers.

Tank sighed. "You don't have to do this baby girl. You don't have anything to prove." he said. His eyes locked with mine. "I need you to stay safe."

It wasn't like I had a death wish. I just guess I never expected to be old, and I was fine with that. I didn't bother to tell Tank. I figured deep down he already knew.

"It will be fine" I said and I hoped to hell it would be.

I went to my office and did some paperwork. I made an appointment with the RangeMan lawyer. Tank was right. This was a dangerous job sometimes, and I needed to be prepared. I needed to put in place provisions in the event I died. Especially now that I was responsible for RangeMan and so many other things. Gone were the days of just me and a hamster. I realized this must be the weight that Ranger had always felt. The burden of being responsible. I guess no one could claim I wasn't an adult anymore, least of all me. I had to admit being an adult really sucked.

At 2:30 PM I went upstairs to change. SWAT clothes would not blend. I pulled on black slacks and low-heeled black ankle boots. Then I put on a tank top, and a Kevlar vest. I covered that with a blue button-up shirt and a perfectly tailored black jacket that disguised the shoulder holster and gun. The Kevlar made me look a little bulky and flat chested, but Tank was right. This event was the perfect opportunity for this guy.

At 3PM, I went downstairs and met Les. He was similarly dressed. He handed me my earpiece and helped me wire up. We got in the RangeMan SUV and drove in silence. I knew Les wasn't happy about it, but I also knew he would have my back no matter what.

We picked up the Senator and bundled her into the back of the SUV. Les drove and I sat in the back with the Senator. She was a woman that was passionate about public service. She was in her early fifties and impeccably dressed. She wore a dark blue dress, black pumps, and pearls. Her blond hair was perfectly styled in a short bob. She was smart and funny. She had also made some powerful enemies with her stance on women's rights and abortion.

The current nutcase blamed her for destroying the nuclear family, corrupting women by telling them they had control over their own bodies and the right to make decisions for themselves. He believed killing her was God's will. That she was an abomination. He'd sent dozens of graphic letters and most recently surveillance photos of her along with a bullet. He was clearly a classy guy.

The Senator had two interviews before the fundraiser. We arrived at the studio shortly before 5PM, and took the Senator inside without incident. Les and I stayed close but largely out of the way. The studio was a reasonably controlled environment and the risk was pretty low.

At 6:30 PM we headed to the fundraiser. My spidey sense was tingling. I called the control room and asked for a second RangeMan team to be onsite for the fundraiser along with Manny our field Medic.

Les looked at me in the rearview mirror with an inquiring look. I gave a little negative shake of my head. I didn't want to get into it with the Senator in the vehicle.

When we got to the fundraiser, Les and I got out first and then flanked the Senator inside the building. Les would mill about looking over the crowd and I would stay glued to the Senator. We would communicate via ear piece, but would keep our communication to a minimum. While they were useful, the comms were somewhat vulnerable to interception.

The Senator mingled and made small talk like a world class champion. About halfway through, the Senator asked if I could escort her out on the balcony for a few minutes. I cleared the space and took her outside to a protected area.

"Thank you so much" she said. "Being in there is exhausting. I was beginning to think my face might crack from all that fake smiling and air kissing" she laughed.

I laughed too. "Yes ma'am" I said. Short answers, no real personal connection. I had learned from the master.

"Why do you do this job?" she suddenly asked me.

I thought about it for a beat and said "It is what I'm good at, I guess. And I'm not a fan of panty hose."

She barked her laughter. "Fair enough, but if you are ever looking for a career change call me."

I was flattered and told her so. We went back inside for more smiling and air kissing.

As the night wore on, I was feeling more and more uneasy. The guy was here. I just knew it. I checked-in with Les to see if he saw anything or anyone suspicious. He hadn't.

Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye I saw the smallest of movement. An impeccably dressed man with gray hair was walking towards us with his hand in his jacket. He didn't look like a psycho, but something about his intent stare gave him away.

He looked at the Senator with pure hatred. Intuitively I knew this had to be our guy. I also realized why he hadn't been flagged. He looked like a well-polished business man and blended perfectly with every other person at the fundraiser. If it hadn't been for the hatred I saw in his eyes, I wouldn't have given him a second thought. I pushed my ear piece and was giving Les the description when I saw him pull out a gun.

He whipped up and began to fire. I pulled my gun from my holster and threw myself in front of the Senator as I pulled her to the ground. I took two rounds to the chest, but managed to squeeze off a shot taking out the attacker.

Pandemonium and chaos took over. People were screaming and running. I heard Les shouting in my ear. While the vest had caught the rounds, I still had the wind knocked out of me. Getting hit in the vest feels largely like a sledge hammer to the chest.

In an instant Les, Roman, and Manny were next to me.

Les knelt to check on me. "Check the Senator" I barked "and get her out. Now!" That was protocol and they all knew it. Protect the asset first. I knew this didn't set well with Les, but he did what he was trained to do and left me lying on the floor.

The Senator was unharmed. Roman and Les grab the Senator under each arm and flew out the door with her. I don't think her feet ever touched the ground. They threw her in the waiting SUV and screamed off into the night.

Manny knelt beside me. "Ma'am I need to check you over."

Manny was running his hands all over my body with clinical efficiency. Finally, he was satisfied I'd only been hit in the vest. My breathing was a little labored but otherwise I was fine.

The police showed up and then it really became a clusterfuck. After two hours of questioning, I was free to go. I checked in and spoke to the Senator. She was shaken but unharmed. I got her assurance that she would keep my name and picture out of the paper. I would be referred to as a member of her security detail. The other good thing about being a woman, everyone would assume it was a man that had saved her.

She thanked me repeatedly, and I promised to come by and see her at her offices in a day or two. She told me I had saved her life and if I ever needed anything, I should call her. I figured having a sitting Senator that owed RangeMan a favor was a good thing, but damn my chest hurt like a bitch.

I was exhausted. I just wanted to go to my apartment and crash. I asked Manny to take me back to RangeMan.

Tank met me at the elevator. After I finally convinced him I was OK, I headed to my apartment.


	3. Chapter 3

I pulled off my jacket and blouse. The blouse was ruined. Bullet holes had a funny way of doing that I thought. Too bad I kind of liked that blouse. I was undoing the side straps on the Kevlar vest when Les burst through the door.

I just looked at him. "Don't you think you should knock" I barked. I wasn't even sure how he had gotten in. I guess those locks weren't so great after all.

Les' eyes were blazing. He was pissed.

He stalked over to me and helped me out of the Kevlar vest. "How bad" he ground out.

"Just some bruising" I said. "I'll be fine."

Les gently pulled up my tank top and inspected the purple bruises. He brushed his fingertips over the area and checked my ribs.

I pulled away from him. I didn't want to be touched. No, that wasn't true. The reality is I wanted to be touched. I wanted to be held. I used bravado and bitchiness to cover my weakness "I said I was fine. Why are you even here?" I snapped.

"Dammit this is not what Ranger would want" he snarled.

"Ranger is dead." My voice was flat and emotionless.

"Is that it?" he asked. "Ranger is dead and now you have a fucking death wish. Is that what this is? Babe you can't do this." Les' eyes were glittering with rage, and something else I couldn't quite name.

Only Ranger had ever called me Babe. I don't know if it was because he called me that, or if it was because he had pretty much hit the nail on the head, or if it was just adrenaline. I was suddenly raging mad and I hauled off and slapped Les across the face with brutal force.

"Fuck you" I screamed. "Get the fuck out of my apartment, and don't you ever call me Babe again."

My anger was immediately spent. Les and I both stood there staring at each other stunned.

"Oh god" I said. "I'm sorry." Then I made the mistake of looking him in the eye. They were Ranger's eyes. I desperately missed Ranger, and I desperately needed Ranger to hold me. Maybe I could pretend, just for tonight, that Les was Ranger.

Les must have seen something in my face because in one step we were to each other kissing each other like we were drowning. These were not gentle get-to-know- you kisses, these were frantic rip-your-clothes off kisses. I yanked his shirt loose and in two seconds flat I had it off, running my hands over his chest and abdomen. I could feel his body react. I reached down and rubbed my hand up and down his seriously impressive length, murmuring my appreciation.

I'm not sure how it happened, but in an instant my tank top and bra were gone and Les and I were plastered together skin on skin. I moaned as he trailed kisses down my chest and gently tugged on my nipples with his teeth.

He undid my slacks and pushed his hand inside my panties and stroked me. When he pushed his fingers inside me, I felt a rush of desire so strong I thought my legs were going to buckle. I needed this.

I unzipped his pants and he sprang free. He groaned against my mouth when I ran my hand from base to tip. I wanted him inside me, and I wanted it now. It had been so long. I knew this was a mistake, but I really didn't care.

Suddenly my addled brain registered that Les had captured my hands and was saying something.

"Querida, no. Don't do this" he said. "I know I look like him, but I'm not him. I don't want you to wake up tomorrow and look at me and hate yourself for this. And, I don't want to hate myself for making you sad."

I looked at him and I knew he was right. This wasn't fair to either of us. Tears popped out and started rolling down my cheeks.

"I'm so sorry" I mumbled.

Les took his thumbs and wiped away my tears. He leaned down and kissed each cheek and my forehead. It was such a Ranger thing to do that I started bawling. Great wailing gut wrenching sobs. The dam had finally broke. I hadn't cried when they told me Ranger died and I hadn't cried when my baby died. Now I couldn't stop crying.

Les picked me up and sat on the couch with me on his lap. He pulled the throw around us. With my face buried in his chest I cried, and then I cried some more. I cried for Ranger, I cried for my baby, and I cried for the girl that use to be me. For the loss of innocence and hope.

I cried until I had nothing left to cry and then I fell into a deep dreamless sleep. I slept like the dead for the first time in months.

I woke the next morning still snuggled into Les' chest. The sun was out, and it was already mid-morning.

When he felt me stir, he kissed me on the top of my head. "Good morning Sleeping Beauty" he whispered.

"Les, I'm sorry, please forgive me. I don't know what is wrong with me" I begged him.

"Forgive you for what?" he asked. "Being human?"

He held me for a while longer, and I started to become aware that we were both half naked, and I was starting to get turned on to the idea of sex with Les. I wriggled a tiny bit against him. Clearly it had been too long.

I cleared my throat when I felt him start to harden against my backside. "We should probably put some clothes on" I squeaked.

"Look at me" he commanded. I did. His eyes were dark with arousal, and held a predatory gleam. This was not charmer Les, this was the predator I knew lurked just below the surface. "You are a beautiful woman and I know you have needs. There will come a time when you want to act on them. Know this. I will be in your bed any time you want, but it will be me in your bed. When I make you come, it will be my name you are screaming. Understood?"

My mouth went dry, desire swirled low in my belly and I felt a clenching that I prayed was only evident to me. I kept my body statue still, terrified if I so much as wiggled my resolve would break and I would take him up on his offer. I nodded.

"Now get dressed and meet me in the kitchen. I'm going to make some coffee and then we are going to talk" he said and pushed me up and off of him.

I groaned. Talking was my least favorite thing to do, but I wrapped the throw around me and went into the bedroom to get dressed.

I put on sweatpants and a sweatshirt. After last night I figured baggy clothes and lots of them were a good thing. I splashed some water on my face and looked at myself in the mirror. What was I doing? Had I completely taken leave of my senses? Well, that was easy to answer I thought bitterly.

Playing with Les like that was like yanking on the tail of a tiger. I was lucky he had stopped us last night or I would have woken up hating myself. As it was, I already thought of myself on the same level as pond scum. Although I had to say, I looked better than I had in months. A good night's rest had helped. I pulled my hair into a ponytail and went out the face the music.

I went into the kitchen. Les had made coffee and was making breakfast. An angry red handprint was clearly visible. I wanted to slink under a rock. Not to mention everyone would know Les had been in my apartment all night and that would start tongues wagging.

Les looked up and must have read my thoughts. "I disabled all the cameras on this floor last night" he handed me a cup of coffee. I looked at it startled. It was coffee and cream. Just the way I use to drink it.

"You knew this was going to happen before you walked in here last night?" my voice sounded foreign even to me.

"No, I just knew I wasn't going to let you be alone. You did just get shot" Les pointed out.

Ok, well that made me feel a little better. At least I hadn't been giving off fuck me vibes.

"How long have you not been sleeping?" he asked as he handed me an omelet.

I knew after last night, there was no point in denying it.

"Months" I said. "I have nightmares."

"I'm sorry" he said. "Tank and I have done a piss poor job."

"What do you mean? You and Tank have been amazing. If it weren't for you…." my voice trailed off. We both knew I might not even be here if it hadn't been for them.

"Tank and I know a thing or two about PTSD….. and grief. We should have done a better job making sure you were not alone."

His voice got very quiet and his eyes looked away and then he said "I know nighttime is the worst. Nighttime is when the demons creep under the door. You will not be alone anymore. Tank and I will take turns staying with you at night until you are better. We'll get you some help, you can see our therapist if you want."

I stood there with my mouth hanging open and a blank look on my face. I couldn't figure out if it was the part about Tank and Les moving in or the therapist part that shocked me. I also realized that Les' reputation for always going home with the ladies, might have a whole lot less to do with sex, and a whole lot more to do with not being alone.

I nodded. "Maybe we can help each other" I said. "To be clear that is not a sexual invitation" I thought it best to clarify.

Les grinned. The charmer was back. "Darling now that breaks my heart" he drawled and winked at me.

Suddenly he was very serious. He walked over and took my face in both hands and locked eyes with me. "Know this and never doubt it. Ric loved you more than anything. He would want you to be happy. He would want you to move on. Find someone to love. Be happy. Make babies, if that is what you want. You will find someone, I promise."

Les was the only one that had ever called Ranger Ric. The rest of us called him Ranger, Carlos or Manoso, but not Les. Ranger had always been Ric to him. I guess that was the thing. Ranger was all those people. A different person to each of us. I wondered if I ever really knew him.

"If Ranger loved me so much, why did he leave me. Why did he leave us?" I snapped. I could feel tears threatening again. I didn't want to be angry at a dead man, but God help me I was. I knew Ranger thought it was his job to save the world, but why couldn't he have just been content to save me? To stay and love me?

"You know that answer" Les replied.

I nodded. I did, and that was one of the things that made Ranger who he was. I wondered, would I have loved Ranger if he had been an accountant or something else? I wasn't sure I knew the answer to that.

Ranger was gorgeous, intelligent, kind, generous and sexy as hell, but it was his unwavering moral code that made him who he was. It was funny, I still thought of Ranger in the present tense. Like he was still here. Like he was coming home. I should probably start referring to him in the past tense. It was probably time to get over the denial stage of grief.

"How am I supposed to do that? How am I supposed to move on?" I whispered.

"We get you healthy. Sleep, food, and therapy if you want it. Then you put one foot in front of the other and one day you will wake up and realize you had a good day. A happy day, and pretty soon the good days will outnumber the bad days. Our soul always heals" he stated.

"Are you ever going to tell me how you know that?" I asked. It was clear he was talking from experience.

"Maybe someday." Les looked at his feet and took a deep breath. "Of course, it could just be from a fortune cookie." It was like a switch had flipped. Charmer Les was back.

I smiled at him. "This omelet is great. Wants some OJ?" Les was like a vault that I didn't have the combination to. If he didn't want to tell me, he wouldn't.

There was a knock at the door and Tank walked in. So much for the stupid locks and illusion of security I thought.

Tank looked from me to Les. His eyebrows raised a fraction of an inch when he saw the hand print on Les' face.

"What's up" Tank ask. His voice completely neutral.

"We need to talk about the Boss" Les said.

Tank nodded and we all sat down at the table with our coffee mugs.

Les explained I was sleep deprived and struggling with nightmares. He walked up to the line, but didn't actually say he thought my lack of sleep and mental clarity were causing me to take unnecessary risks. I appreciated he didn't say I had a death wish, but it was pretty clear Tank got the message.

They gave me the name and number of the therapist they used, and agreed that Tank would put an air mattress in my home office and Les would take the spare bedroom. I would have company every night for the foreseeable future. I thought it would seem awkward, but it didn't. I found that I was looking forward to not having to be alone with my thoughts.

Les and I had missed roll call. Tank said no one would think anything about me not being there since I had taken two the chest and probably needed a day off to recuperate. Les would just claim he was with a woman all night, and lost track of time. I tried not to blush when he said it, since it had almost been the truth.

If Tank noticed, he didn't let it show. We talked about the day's activities. I had a distraction planned for this evening. Both Tank and Les looked at me pointedly. By pointedly I mean right at my breasts.

I gave them both the death glare. "It's fine" I said. "The bullet bruises are low enough on my chest and abdomen I can still do it". Distraction jobs usually have me dressed in some tiny scrap of clothing and braless. Turns out men are easy to manipulate when they are staring at your tits.

The guy we were going after tonight was a drug dealer by the name of Edgar Ruiz. Our plan was to plant a tracker on him and follow him to a less populous place to bring him in. Ruiz was a mid-level drug dealer that had ties to Luis Vega. The rumor was he might be in the market to make a deal because he had fallen out of favor with Vega. His loyalty was being questioned, and that usually got you dead.

RangeMan would be coordinating with the FBI and the DEA on this particular job. Since Ruiz wasn't under indictment, neither had the authority to bring him in. That's where RangeMan came in. We could scoop him up and deliver him to the FBI for a chat, without raising issues through official channels. The FBI would try and persuade Ruiz his only play was to come in and be a cooperating witness against Vega. RangeMan would be babysitting Ruiz, if it worked out and he came in as a cooperating witness, but if he didn't, he would be back on the street.

I didn't like RangeMan involved in these kinds of operations, but I had a feeling Luis Vega was the man Ranger had been sent to eliminate. I thought that if I could learn more about Vega's operation and players, it was possible I could find out more about what happened to Ranger. Maybe even bring his body home and give us all some closure. It was probably a fool's errand, but it was the only play I had.

Tank and Les both asked me if I was really up to doing the distraction tonight. It kind of didn't matter. We had one shot. We knew Ruiz would be at a party tonight, and I had used my contacts to be placed as one of the escorts for the evening. Ignore and override, I would get this job done.

"I'm good" I said. Both Tank and Les looked at me like I had two heads. I rolled my eyes. "I tell you what, I'll take the day off and rest until we head out tonight."

Tank said his goodbyes and left. I asked Les to stay for a minute.

"Thank you" I said and hugged Les. "Thank you for all of this and thank you for last night. You have done so much for me, but I have one more favor". I looked down and pulled my engagement ring off and put it in Les' hand. "Please give this back to Ranger's parents. It was his Grandmother's and they deserve it back."

Les shook his head no.

"Please" I said. "It should stay in his family, and as much as I wanted to be, I'm not family."

"I'll hang on to it for now" was all Les would commit to. "I'll be back this evening. And, Steph" he said "you are family and always will be." He kissed me on the head and left.

A few hours later, a grilled chicken salad was delivered with a note that simply said eat. Tank and Les were not subtle guys. I ate the salad, caught up on some paperwork and took a nap.

At 7PM I took a shower and got ready for my distraction job. I did full face make-up and fluffed my hair into long waves that framed my face. I pulled on a spaghetti strap light green dress that had a cowl neck and no back. It was a slinky sparkly material, and hit about four inches below my crotch. With luck, I could wear a pair of tiny panties, but a bra was completely out. I pulled on a nude-colored thong. I inspected my reflection in the mirror. My cover was a high-end escort, I decide I looked the part.

My earrings had GPS transmitters in them and I would have a second GPS taped on my body. Given the security at the party, I wouldn't be able to wear a wire, but I could probably get away with small body cam, that I would activate after I got inside. I wanted to see how many of the participants we could identify. I figured that was the best shot at finding someone that could tell me what happened to Ranger.

At 8PM Les came in. He held up a GPS tracker and surgical tape and waggled his brows at me. "Breast or butt" he said.

I wrinkled my nose. If I placed it under my thong in the back that was the most comfortable. Butt was also less likely to be found by an over aggressive suitor, but if security was strict and I had to ditch the tracker it was harder to get to. "Breast" I decided.

I turned away from Les and dropped one of the straps on the dress. I covered my bare breast with my hand and pulled it up and turned around. Les taped the GPS tracker under my breast with clinical efficiency. I turned away and pulled the dress back up. The tracker was an annoyance but not uncomfortable.

Les held up a necklace that was really a tiny body cam. He reached around and put it around my neck and hooked it in the back.

"Just press the back of the pendant to activate the body cam. You do have the back-up earrings, right?"

"Yes, but I'm leaving them off unless needed" I replied. Two years ago, I would have thought this was all very James Bond like, now it was just a regular day. A lot had changed.

"Make sure I have a go-bag in the SUV. I don't want to chase this idiot in a dress that barely covers my hoo-hah."

"Yes ma'am" Les said and wisely suppressed the smile that threatened to emerge.

We left the apartment and loaded into the SUV. Les would drop me off a couple of blocks away to avoid any security cams.


	4. Chapter 4

I walked the two blocks. The party was at a historic estate in the heart of Chevy Chase. The house was a Tudor Revival that sat back from the road behind a gated compound on about two acres. I estimated the house was over 10,000 square feet. RangeMan hadn't been able to get floor plans for the house so I was going in blind. Not ideal, but it would have to work.

I thought it was ironic that in the middle of this affluent neighborhood lined with old growth trees drug dealers, gun runners, pimps and prostitutes were partying. Unlike politicians they were at least honest about who they were, I guess. Just another day in DC.

As I walked up to the house, I noticed security was pretty tight. They were wanding people looking for radio signals and patting them down. I hoped like hell that they were only doing this to get into the party and no one was looking for active radio signals once inside. If they did, I was screwed. I had two passive GPS trackers with me, but I would have to activate them when I planted them otherwise, they were useless.

My earrings and camera were off. I reached inside the dress and pulled out the active GPS tracker that was taped under my breast and threw it in the bushes. I was glad I chose breast and not butt. No one questioned a woman adjusting the girls, picking her ass on the other hand might have proved awkward.

When I got to security, I tried to look bored, which I hoped hid the fact I was terrified. This wasn't a bunch of low-life skips that had robbed a convenience store. This was a houseful of dangerous cartel bosses that had ex-military, turned mercenaries working for them. They would just as soon shoot you as look at you.

"Who are you?" the guard demanded.

"I'm Kat" I said. I'd specifically picked that fake name for the double entendre value. "You know the entertainment" I said pointedly looking at his crotch. I tried to give him a bored doe eyed expression.

He eyed me for a couple of beats. It took everything I had not to squirm.

"Arms up. Legs spread" he finally said.

I did as I was told. He wanded me and I held my breath. I was about to get dead if he detected any of the devices. Nothing squeaked or beeped, which I took as a good sign.

He patted me down running his hands down my arms and torso, lingering too long on my breasts. Clearly enjoying himself. I wanted to gag, but remained loose limbed with a bored expression.

He squatted down and ran his hands up my legs to my crotch. He flipped his hand over and cupped me with his hand rubbing back and forth. I felt the bile rise in my throat, but remained motionless with my legs spread.

After what seemed like an eternity, but was probably less than thirty seconds, he removed his hand and said "nice, maybe we can party later."

I smiled what I hoped was a seductive smile, praying the hatred I had for this man didn't leak out "Hmmm, sure baby" I purred.

He motioned me in and grabbed my ass as I walked past him. It was all I could do not to turn around and punch him.

I reminded myself I was doing this for two reasons. I wanted to find out what happened to Ranger, and these people trafficked in little girls. I couldn't save Ranger, but I could save those girls and that is why I did this. Why I endured this humiliation and violation. I would do it a thousand times over no matter what it cost me. I was a lot like Ranger. I just hoped I didn't get dead like Ranger. I had a bad feeling.

I grabbed a champagne glass from a passing waiter, pressed my body cam on, and wandered around getting the layout and looking for Ruiz. I noticed the second floor was roped off and had a guard stationed at the bottom of the stairs.

I watched for a while and saw men taking women up the stairs. The guard would radio to someone and then remove the rope and let them up. I imagined the second-floor housed bedrooms, where the clients were serviced. Basically, I was in an expensive brothel with controlled access.

As I watched, I felt an unnerving awareness and prickle to the back of my neck. It was the same awareness I had felt when Ranger was near, but somehow felt different. The hair on the back of my neck was standing on end. What the hell?

I casually started scanning the room, and that's when I saw him. Our eyes locked. He was tall, at least six feet, black hair, and built. He was stunning with a straight nose and sensual lips. His skin held the healthy glow of a man who spent quality time outside. He had that eye of the tiger thing going on and right now I was the prey he was stalking. He started moving towards me with panther like grace and power. He was clearly an apex predator.

For a moment, I was rooted to the floor held motionless by his force field. Fortunately, a woman briefly slowed his progress, or I would have been doomed. She stepped in front of him and tried to drape herself on him, no doubt offering him her services. He shook her off like a fly, eyes never leaving my face and continued stalking towards me.

I was galvanized into action and rabbited like the hounds of hell were chasing me, probably because I was pretty sure they were. Shit, I had to get away from this guy. This was not the plan. I needed to find Ruiz and get out. This guy was dangerous. That much was crystal clear. He had the carriage and awareness of special forces, and right now he was locked on me.

I snaked through the crowd looking for an out, resisting the urge to turn around and see if the man was still behind me. My heart was racing and my palms were sweating. I needed to get a grip.

I finally spotted Ruiz at the bar drinking. I dipped my hand inside the neckline of my dress and discreetly retrieved the tracker. I had a feeling I wasn't going to have time to finesse an introduction to Ruiz, so I put an extra swing in my hips and went for the direct approach.

I marched right up to Ruiz and draped myself around him pressing my breasts against him and whispering a menu of dirty sex options he could choose from in his ear. Ruiz was probably early forties with thinning hair and bad skin. He'd gone a little soft around the middle and had hard, dark eyes.

Ruiz looked down at me and raked his gaze down my body and grinned. He also had bad teeth.

I must have passed, because he reached around and cupped my ass pulling me up against him. He told the man he was talking to that he'd be back later. I took this to mean he was willing to go upstairs with me.

I had no idea how I was going to avoid that, but right now my focus was getting the tracker planted.

I saw Ruiz's eyes widen slightly in surprise and felt a warm hand wrap around my upper arm. Electricity shot up my arm from the contact, and I was jerked away from Ruiz. I turned and looked straight into the most startling blue eyes I had ever seen. I gasped. It was the apex predator.

"There you are" he said to me and tried to tug me away from Ruiz.

Shit, I hadn't planted the tracker. This was rapidly becoming a cluster of epic proportions.

I gave him an eat shit and die look and jerked my arm away from him and draped my arms around Ruiz's neck. "I'm taken" I purred.

Ruiz and the mysterious stranger locked eyes. I took advantage of the distraction and quickly slipped the tracker beneath Ruiz's collar.

"We are not going to have a problem here are we Ruiz" the stranger said with a quiet but lethal tone.

A beat went by "No man, take her" Ruiz said and extricated himself from my grip. Clearly Ruiz and the stranger knew each other. Ruiz was smarter than I gave him credit for. He was not going to challenge the guy.

The predator grabbed my upper arm, and started propelling me through the crowd at a rapid clip. I was struggling to keep up in my heels and stumbled. I realized we were headed to the back of the house not towards the stairs. Shit, this was not good.

He opened a door and pushed me inside. I looked around. We were in rich peoples' equivalent of a man cave. There were wooden bookcases, a big wooden desk, billiard table, and a bar. All dark wood and leather. The room smelled faintly of cigars.

The stranger had me by the upper arms, and gave me a little shake.

"Look sweetheart" he said "take your fine ass and get out of here fast. These are dangerous people and you don't want the trouble that is coming. The money isn't worth your life." He shook his head in disgust "It seems like you still have a little life left in your eyes. Don't sell your soul to these people, just get out. You don't belong here."

What the hell, the apex predator was a white knight trying to save my soul? That was almost funny. I didn't have a soul to save anymore. He was about one year, nine months and six days too late.

I suspected he was undercover. His eyes were too assessing and barely contained simmering distaste rolled off of him in waves. This was not the demeanor of a drug lord. I briefly wondered why he would jeopardize his cover to try and save me. I thought I should probably explain he needn't bother.

Instead, I jerked out of his grip and snorted "I'd say you don't belong here either."

I saw his eyes narrow, and I hoped I hadn't just made a deadly mistake.

With lethal speed he shoved me back against the wall. His thigh pushed between my legs and his hand on my breast. He leaned close like he was about to kiss me and whispered against my lips. "Don't say that to anyone or you will get us both killed."

It struck me as odd, despite the fact he had me pinned against the wall and his hand on my breast it didn't feel like sexual aggression. The length of his body was pressed up against mine, and he clearly didn't have an erection. It felt very clinical, but it certainly didn't stop my nipples from tightening. I was responding to this man, and I immediately felt embarrassed and ashamed. I knew my reaction wasn't lost on him. Given my night, I figured it was probably too much to ask for the floor to just open up and swallow me.

I heard the door open and voices carry into the room. Clearly the white knight had heard them before I did. To any outside observer, it would look like he was about to nail me up against the wall. I was an escort after all.

I heard an unfamiliar voice behind the white knight "Rafe, come it is time for business. You can taste that later. Perhaps we all can." Several male voices chuckled.

I saw the white knight briefly close his eyes struggling for control. A mask came down over his features, and he turned and greeted the men. He kept his body between me and the others, mostly shielding me from view.

"Vega, good to see you Stateside" he said.

Holy shit. Had he just said Vega? I took the opportunity to pull the second tracker out of my dress. Maybe my luck was turning after all. If I could plant a tracker on Vega, this could be the break we had been looking for. Of course, the odds of me getting out of this room alive were dwindling.

"Let's see what you have brought us" I heard Vega say.

A hand reached around the white knight and yanked me forward. It was the same asshole guard that had grabbed my crotch earlier. He grinned at me and pushed me towards Vega.

I got my first look at Luis Vega. He was an older man with salt and pepper hair. He as impeccably dressed in a dark gray suit with a light blue shirt with French cuffs. His cufflinks winked with diamonds. Fit and trim, he was quite attractive. I'm not sure why that surprised me, I guess I thought monsters should look like monsters.

He reached out and yanked me to him. I pretended to stumble and grabbed his arm to steady myself. I slipped the tracker in the French cuff of his shirt. It wasn't an ideal place, but I figured this might be my only opportunity.

He looked down at me, reached out and took hold of the strap of my dress pulling it off my shoulder and exposing my breast. He palmed it in his hand and acted like he was weighing it. "A little small for my taste" he said and chuckled. He was gently massaging my breast and brushing his thumb across my nipple. Oddly, I was shocked at how gentle his touch was more than what he was doing.

His eyes were hooded as he looked down at me. I prayed he would stay focused on my breast because nestled between them was the body cam, and if he saw that I knew both the white knight and I would be sporting matching holes in our skulls. My breath caught, I was utterly terrified.

"What's your name" he asked.

"Kat" I purred and tried to look seductive rather than freaked. I was amazed my voice worked at all, let alone came out steady. "I have many talents that I think will suit you."

He smiled and ran his thumb across my lips. I darted my tongue out and licked his finger. I was stunned I hadn't gagged. I saw his eyes go dark with arousal.

"Yes Rafe, she will do nicely. Assuming you don't mind sharing" he said and abruptly released me pushing me back towards the white knight.

I quickly pulled my dress back up and covered myself. The white knight's eyes never strayed from Vega, and he didn't so much as even glance at my bare breast. Instinctively I moved closer to the white knight. He adjusted his body so he was between me and Vega again. I breathed a sigh of relief. Men like Vega always underestimated women.

I could feel the tension pouring off of the white knight in waves. I was afraid he would do something stupid, so I gently squeezed his arm.

"I'm not usually into sharing" the white knight said "but it is fine as long as you don't mind seconds." The casual ease with which he said it made me start to rethink my plan.

"Why don't you park your fine ass outside" he said to me, his eyes never leaving Vega. I relaxed a fraction. He as clearly trying to get me out of the room.

"No, she can stay" Vega said.

I knew right then Vega's plan was to pass me around and then kill me. I'd turn up in the Potomac in a day or two. There was no way a man as cautious as Vega would let me stay and hear business details if he didn't plan to kill me. Belatedly I realized he probably planned to kill me anyway simply because I'd seen his face.

I didn't have too much time to contemplate that fact. Out of the corner of my eye I saw movement at the window. In an instant the windows shattered and two masked men with automatic weapons were in the room firing.

I pushed the white knight hard knocking him out of the line of fire. For my trouble, I felt a bullet graze my arm.

The white knight grabbed me from behind and rolled us up and over the bar. We landed with a bone jarring thud on the floor behind the bar. I was underneath him and he was covering my body with his as glass shattered, bullets flew and wood splintered.

"Stay calm" he whispered in my ear and held me tight. Seconds ticked by and I heard him mutter "I've had just about enough of this fun". He yanked out a gun and crept to the edge of the bar firing two rounds taking out both attackers.

I was crouched behind in. He grabbed my hand and yanked me up.

"Let's go, unless you want to wait for their friends or the police" he snapped and yanked me forward.

He didn't have to tell me twice I was running with him.

The guard that had grabbed my crotch was dead on the floor, but both Vega and the other man with him were gone. A whisper of a thought went through my head that sometimes Karma worked fast.

I ran flat out with the white knight. I could hear more gunfire in the house. He pushed me through the window and followed me out. I landed with a thud on the soft grass. I'd barely hit the ground, when he yanked me up dragging me in his wake.

He shoved me into a black SUV and got in and we went screaming down the driveway. Gunfire erupted behind us shattering the back window. He took aim for the gate and we busted through and roared out onto the street.

I reached up and pressed the back of my earring to start the GPS signal. I knew Les and Tank would be completely freaked out.

I was also in an SUV with a man I knew nothing about other than some crazy story I'd concocted in my own head about him being a good guy.

I looked over at him. His mouth was set in a grim line and he was driving like a bat out hell taking last minute turns making sure we didn't have a tail. Blood was streaming down the side of his face.

"Do you have a first aid kit" I barked.

"Under the seat" his voice was calm and controlled.

I reached down and found the first aid kit and popped it open to rummage around.

"I'm guessing you are not an escort" he said.

"Nope" I replied letting the p sound make a little pop as I continued to rummage through the first aid kit until I found the gauze.

"And your name isn't actually Kat."

"Nope."

"Thank god" he replied and laughed.

I smiled at him. I'd wondered if he had caught that.

I reached out and pressed the gauze to the cut above his eye.

"Your arm" he said surprised.

"It will keep. Right now, I'm more concerned about your eye. The last thing I need to do is survive a cartel hit only to die when you drive us into a bridge abutment because you can't see with blood in your eye."

"Fair enough" he grinned.

I knew RangeMan would be trying to follow us but the white knight was doing an excellent job at evasion.

"Look just drop me off at the tidal basin near the Lincoln Memorial and I'll be out of your hair."

"You want me to drop you off at the tidal basin in the middle of the night?" He sounded like he thought I was crazy or stupid or possibly both.

"Yes."

He shook his head. "OK. I'm guessing those guys trying to follow us are your ride."

I looked in the side mirror and saw two RangeMan SUVs barreling up behind us.

"Yep."

"Try not to get me shot" he muttered and pulled to a stop along the tidal basin.

Two RangeMan SUVs came screeching in at an angle. One in front and one in back.

Tank, Les, Roman and Manny were out guns drawn.

I opened the door and climbed out.

"It's OK" I called.

The white knight and I approached Tank and Les.

I saw Tank give an almost imperceptible nod at the white knight and lower his weapon. Holy shit they knew each other I realized.

"Medic" Tank barked. "You OK Boss?" he asked me.

Manny was at my side. I held out my arm for him to examine. He poured alcohol on it and I hissed in my breath. He could be a sadistic little bastard I thought.

"Sorry ma'am. You are going to need stiches." Manny sounded apologetic.

"Later."

Manny nodded and put a compression dressing on my arm and handed me a trench coat so I could cover up. I shrugged into the coat and belted the waist.

"Report" I said to Tank

"Squirter is tagged and ready to be bagged" Tank reported.

"And the bonus?" I inquired.

Tank gave a full-on grin. "Lit up like a Christmas tree."

I was almost giddy with relief.

I turned to look at the white knight. He was leaning back against the front of the SUV, arms crossed over his chest watching intently. I guess they must teach that particular pose in the special forces. I'd seen Ranger, Tank, and Les in the exact same pose dozens of times.

"Manny, please take a look at….." my voice trailed off and my eyes cut to the white knight. I held out my hand. "At Mister.."

The white knight pushed up off the SUV and shook my hand. "Rafe. Rafe Montero ma'am."

So, his name really was Rafe. Interesting. I'd read somewhere that Rafe meant counsel of the wolf. I thought the name suited him.

I smiled. "Well, Mr. Montero thank you for the assist tonight."

"You pushed me out of the line of fire." It was a statement not a question. "You probably saved my life. I should be thanking you Ms…"

I smiled. "Good night Mr. Montero."

I turned and looked at Tank and Les. "Gentlemen" I said. We all piled in the SUV and took off. We still had work to do.

I didn't look at him directly, but I could see Rafe watching us drive off as Manny tended to the cut above his eye.

I smiled. I liked Rafe Montero. A lot.

"Where's my go bag" I asked.

Les handed the bag back to me. I opened it and rummaged around. No bra. I let out a huge sigh.

I looked up and saw Les smiling at me in the rearview mirror.

"Eyes front Santos and next time pack a damn bra will you."

"Yes, ma'am!" he replied.

I pulled the clothes out of the bag. I took the straps of my dress down and pulled a tank top over me. I shimmied out of the dress and into a pair of cargo pants. I pulled on socks and stuffed my feet into black boots. I pulled out a black ball cap and pulled my hair through the back as I settled it onto my head and pulled on a black windbreaker. I strapped a nylon utility belt around my waist along with my Glock.


	5. Chapter 5

We tracked Ruiz to a rundown motel just outside of DC. The doors were all outside access and no one was going to admit to seeing anything. It was a regular no-tell motel, so the extraction should be easy.

Tank, Les, Roman and I approached the door. Tank kicked in the door and we stormed inside guns drawn.

Ruiz was getting a blow job. Leave it to men I thought. Ruiz had barely escaped a cartel hit and was a dead man walking, yet his first thought was of sex.

Good news and bad news on that one. Ruiz was alive, but not likely for long. Vega would think Ruiz was the mole since he survived. Vega was definitely going to put a hit on him now. Someone had tipped off a rival cartel that Vega was in town and at that house. I didn't think it was Ruiz, but then you never knew.

Despite all that, here he was in a seedy motel getting a blow job.

"What the fuck" Ruiz shouted. Then he saw me and his mouth dropped open. "You, you bitch" he snarled.

Tank grabbed the hooker, and threw her into the bathroom and closed the door. He slapped Ruiz on the back of the head hard. I heard his teeth snap from across the room. Tank yanked the addled Ruiz up and cuffed him.

Ruiz's dick was hanging limply out of his pants.

"Someone is going to need to put his dick back in his pants" I said. "And, it's not going to be me."

Tank and Les looked at each other. Tank rolled his eyes and Les sighed. They played paper, rock, scissors. Les lost.

Les grabbed Ruiz's pants and yanked them up. The zipper raking viciously over Ruiz's private parts. Ruiz yelped in pain. "Damn man, watch the goods" he shouted.

I had to press my lips together and look at the floor to keep from laughing. That was the least this bastard deserved.

We hauled Ruiz into the SUV and headed for the FBI offices. We entered an underground garage and took the elevator to the top floor Ruiz flanked between us. We walked through the offices back to a conference room dragging the cuffed and cussing Ruiz with us.

I wasn't surprised to see Montero talking with the Special Agent in Charge. His eyes locked with mine and I felt a jolt of awareness course through me. He gave me a slight nod. I gave him a small two-fingered salute.

I looked up and that tool Agent Wyland was stalking towards me. I suppressed a sigh and squared my shoulders. This guy was a loose cannon. He was obnoxious, obtuse and obsessed with the fact he had a gun and badge. He thought that gave him the right to abuse people, lie, threaten, extort witnesses, plant evidence and generally be a prick. I figured he probably had an unnatural relationship with his firearm the way he constantly stroked it.

Wyland had long been a thorn in my side. He didn't like contractors and he especially didn't like female contractors. Lately his behavior had gotten worse. After Ranger died, it seemed he had taken to almost stalking me. He would turn up everywhere and harass me. We often caught him outside the building on the RangeMan security cameras at all times of the day and night.

He was creepy and had no business being in a position of authority. I figured if he was the future of the FBI, they were doomed and should probably just change their name to the Federal Bureau of Idiots to save time.

I was saved the displeasure of speaking with him when we were called into the Directors office. Director Barnes seemed like a solid guy, even if he did trend a little too far toward government drone for my taste.

He was probably in his fifties with gray hair and dark eyes. Time hadn't been kind to him and deep wrinkles creased his tanned forehead. In juxtaposition his voice was deep and mellow. I vaguely thought he should have been a radio announcer. That voice could lull you into anything. That is probably why he had done well at the Bureau I thought. He could talk someone into giving up their mother with that voice.

I didn't mind working with him, but I still didn't trust him. It never paid to trust the FBI or any government group for that matter. Loyalty for them seemed to stop at whatever it took to get the next promotion. It was funny, I wouldn't trust the FBI, the supposed premiere law enforcement agency in the entire country, to guard a houseplant, but I would trust this rag-tag bunch of mercenaries with my life. They might play in the gray area of the law, but they all had a strict moral code that I admired. I wasn't sure what that said about me. That this was the family I had chosen.

Barnes indicated they would offer Ruiz a deal and see how it played out. I didn't see how Ruiz had much of a choice if he wanted to keep breathing.

If Ruiz agreed to be a cooperating witness, they would let RangeMan know. We would be tasked with babysitting him until trial. It was good money but I would have turned it down, if it weren't for the possible intel on Ranger. I didn't like that Wyland was involved and I didn't trust him.

Barnes said it would probably be at least 48 hours, which was just fine with me since I was exhausted and I wanted to see what we had learned about Vega. I didn't mention Vega to Barnes. I'd probably pay for that later, but the last thing I needed was the FBI fucking something up. Too many of them were incompetent, and I wasn't so sure their operation was exactly airtight.

Tank, Les and I left the FBI and headed to RangeMan. Vega had run to another upscale, well-guarded house after the attempted hit but hadn't bugged out of the country. This surprised me a little. We now had eyes on Vega and would see where it took us. There was something definitely in the works. I made a note to talk to Montero to get the scoop.

Tank and Les were going through the body cam footage. I knew they would see what had happened to me, and they would be pissed. I'd deal with that later.

I asked Tank into my office. He came in and shut the door.

"You know Montero" it was a statement not a question.

"Yes" Tank replied.

"You are going to have to be more specific" I snapped.

"Montero is a good guy. He was a SEAL, then he went to work for the US Marshals Service, mainly WitSec. After his fiancée died, he left and went private. Lost touch with him."

"And" I prompted. "How is he involved with Vega?"

Tanked shrugged. "Don't know."

Well, that had been illuminating. I still thought he might be able to provide some answers, but I let it go. I'd track down Montero myself. Right now, I needed to crash.

I headed toward the elevator and up to my apartment. Well, mine, Les and Tank's apartment. I rolled my eyes. My life was seriously out of control.

Les was waiting for me when I walked in. He had that caged tiger feel to him. I knew he had seen the footage. Les was a guy that loved women. Les hated men that abused women. I'd seen him throw-up after he rescued a K&R victim that had been brutally raped. He had been so gentle and respectful with her and had gained her trust. Once the elevators had closed and she could no longer see him he threw-up in the trash can. Brutality to women and sexual abuse didn't sit well with him.

"You OK' he asked. He was watching me intently.

I took a deep breath and told the truth. "I need a shower as soon as Manny stiches me up. I want to scrub away their touch".

"Why do you put yourself through this" Les queried.

I snorted. "You know the answer to that."

I took a beat and then continued. "What have you done, what have you endured for this job Les? That man traffics in children. Those little girls are forced into a life of sexual slavery until they are completely used up and broken. What happened to me, was disgusting, and it sucks that so many men resort to sexual violence, but if I can stop him from hurting one more person then I will go through that a thousand times."

Les just nodded and texted Manny.

Manny came up and made quick work of the bullet graze. I got seven new stiches and a new scar to match the one on my right shoulder. He wrapped my arm in plastic wrap so I could take a shower, gave me a shot of antibiotics and left.

Les had gone into the bathroom and started the shower for me. I went in closed the door and stripped off my clothes and climbed in. I let the hot water pour over me and scrubbed my skin almost raw. I thought about Montero. Montero intrigued me and caused me to feel things that I thought were long buried. This could be trouble I thought.

Finally, I climbed out and pulled on flannel pants and a tank top. I stuffed myself in a robe and went out to find Les had dinner waiting.

It was 3AM, and I realized I hadn't eaten since lunch. My stomach let out a loud growl that shocked both me and Les. We sat down and ate. I was ravenous and for the first time in a long time the food tasted good.

Les cleaned up the dishes and I headed to bed. Les followed me in.

"Um, what are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm sleeping with you" Les stated matter-of-factly. "Look, I promise I won't do anything kinky. I just don't want you to have any nightmares".

I wavered for a minute, took the robe off and got in bed. I trusted Les. Les climbed in on top of the covers and laid down. He pulled me to him and I fell into a wonderful, dreamless sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

I woke up the next morning and sunlight was streaming in. Les was gone. Damn, it was the middle of the morning already. Les had to stop turning off the alarm clock and letting me sleep. I'd missed roll call again, and half the morning was gone.

I stretched and got out of bed. I felt pretty good. Admittedly I needed the sleep, but I also needed to get back to my routine. I heard the door open and popped my head out.

Tank walked in with a plate of food with Manny trailing behind him. That was convenient. I vaguely wondered if they had the apartment bugged.

The plate was heaped with enough bacon and eggs to feed a small country. I sat down at the table and dug in. Manny checked my arm, and then wrapped it in plastic wrap so I could shower.

After Manny left, Tank gave me an update.

Vega was still holed up and there had been little movement at the compound. RangeMan was keeping eyes on it 24/7 and documenting anyone that came in or out.

The Senator had called and asked me to come by her office today at 2PM.

Barnes had also called and said Ruiz had agreed to be a cooperating witness. No surprise there. They wanted RangeMan to start taking some babysitting shifts tomorrow. The FBI was putting Ruiz in an FBI designated safe location. I took pause with that. I didn't like the idea of having responsibility for Ruiz when RangeMan hadn't picked or vetted the location. Tank agreed, but neither of us saw any options if we wanted to get access to Ruiz.

Then Tank, dropped the next little bomb. Montero was sitting outside the building and wanted to see me. I stopped with a forkful of egg halfway to mouth. Way to bury the lead I thought.

I jumped up and raced to the shower. I swear I saw Tank smile. I showered in record time. I pulled on my standard RangeMan uniform of black cargo pants, black t-shirt and black boots. I threw my hair in a ponytail and took a quick look in the mirror.

I stopped and swiped on a few coats of mascara and some cherry lip gloss. I didn't want to think too hard about why I done that or why I had a warm tingly feeling coursing through my body at the thought that I was going to see Montero.

I raced downstairs. I stopped for a moment before opening the door and heading out to school my expression into something that I hoped conveyed a nonchalant, devil-may-care attitude. My heart was hammering in my chest.

Montero was leaning up against a black Mercedes S-class, arms crossed over his chest. He had on a pair of well-worn jeans, a black t-shirt, and dark aviator sunglasses. The t-shirt stretched across his broad chest. He was lean and well-muscled without being bulky.

As I approached, he took off the sunglasses and hooked them into the neck of his t-shirt. I was treated to a view of those startling blue eyes.

I realized I had stopped and was literally staring at him, drinking him in. He was perfection. I saw the corner of his mouth twitch and he raised one eyebrow at me. Gawd, I was pathetic. Way to play that cool I thought. I gave a little shake of my head to clear it and tried to look casual. You know, like I hadn't just stopped dead in the middle of the street staring at him like I wanted to see him naked.

"Mr. Montero" I said "to what do I owe the pleasure?"

His head inclined towards the building. "So" he said "you work at RangeMan."

"Something like that" I replied.

"I thought maybe you could tell me your name. Your real name this time, and we could grab coffee. I think we may be able to help each other." He drawled.

Oh boy I thought. I could think of about a hundred ways we could help each other. I felt heat unexpectedly course through me.

"You know, coffee usually comes before I let you fondle my breasts." Shit, had I just said that out loud?

He did a little grimace and looked down at the ground and then back up at me. "About that" he said "I'm sorry. I didn't know what else to do when Vega walked in."

I smiled. "Don't worry about it. I've had breast exams that were far less clinical."

He laughed and his eyes locked with mine. "Yeah, I guess I'm going to have to practice my seduction moves. And, for the record. I disagree with Vega. I thought they were perfect."

My mouth went dry at the thought, and I think I may have even blushed a little. At his statement, my body instantly remembered his hand on my breast, and I had the same reaction. I felt my nipples contract painfully. I was pretty sure that fact was not lost on Montero.

"So, what should I call you" he prompted. "I don't really want to call you Kat. It puts my mind in all the wrong places." His gaze never left my face, but he may as well have just undressed me. My reaction was the same.

My response to this man off the charts crazy. Every time he looked at me, I felt like he was touching me. I hadn't felt that way in a long time. The only man that had ever made me feel like that was Ranger, and that was a sobering thought. Maybe Les was right. The soul always healed itself.

I stepped forward and held out my hand to him "I'm Stephanie Ma.. I'm Stephanie Plum" I said. That was my name I reasoned. Maybe I wanted to be more Stephanie Plum than Stephanie Manoso with Montero I thought. I missed being me sometimes. Or maybe I just couldn't call myself Manoso while having impure thoughts about another man. Whatever the reason, it didn't matter because the die had been cast.

"Plum" he said. "I think that suits you." He pushed up off the car. 'Plums are one of my favorites. Firm, sweet, and juicy" he mused.

Heat rushed to my face and desire licked scary, liquid and hot low in my belly. I had a feeling he wasn't talking about fruit. My mouth was open and I snapped it closed with an audible click of my teeth.

When I looked at him his eyes, were blazing with heat.

"Coffee" I said. "I'm pretty sure you promised me coffee."

He gestured to the car for me to get in. I shook my head no. I wasn't about to get in a car with him. Not because he was a bad guy, rather I was afraid I wanted to be a bad girl and drag him in the backseat and rip his clothes off.

"I'm not getting in a car with you" I said. "There is a Starbucks down the street."

He smiled. I was terrified he had read my mind.

We walked to the coffee shop and ordered. I got a black coffee of the day and he got a caramel macchiato. I raised a brow at him.

"Sugar, the nectar of the Gods" he laughed. A man after my own heart I thought. Well, a man after Stephanie Plum's heart, maybe not Stephanie Manoso's. The thought made me sad.

I went to get us a table and ran into that freak Agent Wyland. He was glowering at me and invading my space. I refused to take a step back.

"How'd you get Barnes to let you in on the Ruiz deal" Wyland sneered. "Did you show him your tits too?"

I felt my blood run cold. Did Wyland somehow know about what happened to me last night or was he just being an ass?

I saw Wyland's expression change. His eyes narrowed and he took a step back. I felt a warm body behind me so close it was nearly touching me. Without looking I knew it was Montero. Instinctively, I stepped back until I was pressed against his warmth. I felt a protective hand rest on my neck. I was a pretty tall woman, but Montero was a full head taller than I was and I felt like I had been enveloped in his warmth. Being pressed against him made me feel safe.

"Wyland" he drawled, putting just a little extra southern in his slight accent. "How nice to see you. Want to join us?"

Wyland turned and stalked off. I felt a shudder go through me.

"Want to tell me what that was about?" he asked.

"Not really" I said.

Our order was called and we picked up our drinks. Montero moved his hand to the small of my back and guided me to a table in the corner. Montero sat with his back against the wall.

"I decided you needed a hot chocolate" he said and pushed my drink to me.

I smiled. "Bless you!" and I took a drink. I couldn't help but moan. It had been so long. These days I usually drank water or black coffee. A little of the whipped cream was on my lip and my tongue darted out to lick it off.

I looked up and Montero was staring at me. His eyes had turned a dark stormy color. There was no mistaking his thoughts.

"Sorry" I squeaked. "It's just been… it is just..oh never mind. I really like hot chocolate."

"Never apologize" his tone was low and seductive. "A woman that makes drinking hot chocolate sexy is definitely worth getting to know."

I swallowed with an audible click and decided it was best to quickly move this conversation to more neutral territory.

"What do you know about Agent Wyland" I asked.

"He's a tool."

"Do you think he is dirty?" I inquired.

Montero's shoulder raised in a slight shrug. "Depends on how you define dirty. Do I think he lies and threatens people? Sure. Maybe he plays fast and loose with the evidence. Do I think he is on the take? Hard to say. It wouldn't surprise me though. Why do you ask?"

"I'm not sure" I admitted. "Just a feeling, I guess."

I moved on to another topic. "You said you thought we could help each other." My thoughts immediately took a turn towards all the ways I'd like Montero to help me. I saw the corner of his mouth twitch up. This man could read me like a book. I knew I was blushing.

"In the Vega matter" I clarified. "What is your interest in Vega?"

"I work for Kincaid Securities" Montero said.

I sucked in a breath through my teeth making a whistling sound. Wow, Kincaid made the work that RangeMan did look like pee wee league.

Montero gave me a rueful smile and continued. "Someone has been targeting Vega. His operation has dwindled to about ten percent of what it had been. Along with it went Vega's power. He may be ruthless, but he is a smart man. He knows he won't last long when the other cartels smell blood in the water. He wants to make a deal with the US government. In exchange for what he knows he wants to enter witness protection and take what's left of his assets with him. I used to be with the US Marshal's office in the WitSec program. Vega knows that so he came to Kincaid to help him broker a deal."

"He asked for you specifically" I stated.

"Yes."

"And that's why he is in the US and why you were meeting with him?"

"Yes."

"Wow" I said. "He's a monster. It doesn't seem fair he gets to just ride off into the sunset and live a long life. Why would you help a man like that?" I was suddenly very mad at Montero mostly because I thought he had been principled, not just some mercenary.

Montero sighed. "Because Vega can tell me who the mole was that got my fiancée killed, and maybe tell me where to recover her body. Getting the mole, could save dozens of operations and agents. That's why I'm dealing with scum like Vega. If there were any other way, I'd be putting Vega in the ground because while he might not have pulled the trigger, I know he ordered her execution."

My eyes shot to his face. I reached out and took his hand. "I'm so sorry" I whispered. I didn't tell Montero about Ranger. I couldn't. My heart was hammering wildly in my chest and my vision was tunneling. This was it. This was the break I'd been looking for. I knew that if Montero succeeded, he might be able to get me some answers too. I might even get justice for Ranger. I would do anything to help him, but first I needed to talk to Tank and Les.

"Me too" he said sadly. "Will you help me?"

I realized I was still holding his hand and pulled back like I'd been burned. I needed to get some perspective. "I'll let you know" I said and stood up to leave.

"Your hot chocolate" he motioned to my cup.

"Keep it" I said and walked out. I had to get out of there before I burst into tears. Before I gave myself away. Ranger and Montero's fiancée had both been on the same assignment and killed by the same people. I just knew it. I made it onto the street before tears started pouring down my cheeks. I numbly walked back to RangeMan.

I went straight to my apartment and asked Tank and Les to come up. No one else at RangeMan needed to see me like this or know about Vega or Montero.

I told Les and Tank what Montero had told me. They both agreed we should loop in Montero and Kincaid Securities. While RangeMan had the advantage of knowing where Vega was, we didn't really have the person power to handle a large-scale operation, especially since we would be splitting time babysitting Ruiz starting tomorrow. The more teams rotating surveillance the less likely it would be that Vega would make us.

Something about Vega being targeted bugged me. This is what Ranger had been sent to do and it sounded like Ranger, but Ranger had been dead for over a year. They probably just sent someone else to do the job I realized. Ranger was just a cog in the wheel. It didn't mean anything. Still, something was niggling me and I just couldn't put my finger on it.

I called Montero. I told him I had information for him.

"Good. Why don't you meet me for dinner and we can talk" he said.

"Dinner?"

"Yes, you know where two people sit down to eat and pretend to be civilized."

"I don't know" I hedged.

I heard Montero sigh. "Look I'll get some hot dogs and we can meet at our special place."

"Our special place?" I asked.

He laughed. It was a rich sound that made me tingle. "Yes, Plum. I'll meet you at the Lincoln Memorial at 6:30 PM."

I smiled. "You think the Lincoln Memorial is our place?"

"Yes, it is where I met the real you. Well, that and you almost got me shot. That sort of thing tends to make an impression and stay with a man" he said.

I laughed. "OK, I'll meet you at our special place Montero."

"And Plum" he said "as much as I like the whole SWAT look, queen of the damned thing, maybe wear something a little less conspicuous for our date." Montero disconnected.

Our date? When, I hung up, I realized I was still smiling.

At 2PM I went to meet with Senator Lashley. She hugged me warmly and thanked me for saving her life. She wanted to hire RangeMan fulltime for ongoing security when she got back from her European vacation. I guess a little near-death experience had convinced the Senator she might need to live a little.

I agreed. I figured having a few weeks was a good thing because I needed to recruit some women if we were going to do this.

She asked me if there was anything she could do for me. I thought about it for a minute.

"Yes" I said. "Two things really. If they are too much just let me know."

She nodded. I forged ahead "I want to be part of the task force that addresses human trafficking" I said.

"Done" she replied.

I blew out a breath. "Thank you."

"What else?" she asked.

"I want to see the file on the operation that killed my husband."

I explained the circumstances to her. She said she would do what she could, but couldn't make promises. I thanked her and left.

It was 6 PM and I was still staring in my closet praying for a miracle. I had distraction clothes and RangeMan black. When did my world become so one dimensional and monochromatic?

I was digging through my closet like a squirrel when I finally found a box of old clothes in the back. I pulled out a pair of jeans and white t-shirt. That would have to do. I threw my black leather jacket on and raced out the door. The Lincoln Memorial wasn't far from RangeMan so I decided to walk. I would have to double time it if I was going to make 6:30 PM.

As I half walked half jogged down the street, I felt a familiar prickle of awareness on the back of my neck. I stopped and scanned the street. I was unnerved. It felt like Ranger. I was being silly I decided. Guilt probably for meeting Montero for a date. I brushed it off and hurried on. The feeling passed.

When I got to the Lincoln Memorial, Montero was waiting for me for at the base of the steps. He smiled at me. A full-on grin. I couldn't help but smile back. The man's energy and humor were infectious.

We went to the top of the stairs, and sat over to one side and ate our hot dogs.

"RangeMan would like to partner with you and Kincaid" I announced.

Montero nodded.

"When we were at the party. I planted a bug on Vega. We know where he went after the party and we have eyes on him" I said.

I saw Montero's eyes widen with surprise. I definitely had his interest now.

"When?" he asked.

I snorted "When the asshole was inspecting my breast. I slipped it into the cuff of his shirt."

"Color me impressed" he said.

I rolled my eyes. "Men have one track minds. A bomb could go off, and they wouldn't notice if your tits are hanging out." I didn't mean to sound so jaded. "Testosterone retards the brain" I said by way of explanation.

"Hmmm, something to be aware of." He smiled and put his arm around me and pulled me close. I leaned my head over on his shoulder. He pressed a kiss to the top of my head. It was a comforting move.

"I'm very sorry about what happened to you. I know I should have done more to stop him. I would have never let him take you from the party or hurt you. I hope you know that."

I put my hand on his chest over his heart. "No, you have nothing to apologize for" I said. "You did the right thing by keeping us alive, and I had a job to do."

We sat that way and watched the sun set.

Montero and I agreed to set-up a joint surveillance schedule to watch Vega. I also told him about RangeMan's babysitting gig with Ruiz. While he thought it was a long-shot, he agreed I might be able to get some intel out of Ruiz that would be helpful. He said the Feds didn't really want to make a deal with Vega, but sometimes it was necessary to dance with the devil. Vega's information could help weaken the other cartels, but if they could get what they needed from Ruiz, maybe they wouldn't have to cut a deal with Vega.

Montero walked me back to RangeMan. When we got to the door he reached up and tucked a curl behind my ear. Our eyes locked and for one terrifying moment I was sure he was going to kiss me. My breath caught and my lips parted slightly.

Suddenly, Montero took a step back, turned and walked away like the hounds of hell were chasing him. I stood there stunned. I had definitely misread something.

I went inside to the apartment. I pulled off my jacket and grabbed a beer. I smiled. I realized I'd had a mostly good day. I'd even laughed. Montero racing off had been a little abrupt, but I liked him. He was smart, funny, and kind. Who knows maybe we could be friends I thought? Les was definitely onto something with the whole one day at a time thing.


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning, I was still smiling and still thinking about Montero. Tank walked in.

"You OK?"

"Yes, why?" I asked.

"You're smiling" Tank seemed genuinely confused.

I laughed. A real laugh. Les walked in and gave him his 1000-watt grin.

"A good day" he said and winked at me.

"I hate to say it Les, but I think you might have been right."

Tank looked between me and Les like we were nuts, which of course caused Les and I to just laugh harder.

Tank just shook his head and sat down at the conference table. He mumbled something that sounded a lot like "Why me."

We went over the security plans for Ruiz. The place was a security nightmare. It was a hotel, which meant there were any number of unvetted guests and staff at any one time. There multiple entry and exit points and a blind alley.

I looked up from the plans shaking my head. "This place is a nightmare" I said. "Who picked it?"

"Wyland" tank replied.

I voiced what we were all thinking "do you think he is nefarious or stupid? Do you think he is trying to get Ruiz killed or is he just too arrogant and stupid to realize this place is like an engraved invitation?"

Tank and Les both shrugged.

"I don't like this at all. Let's double the team and make sure we have the connecting rooms on both sides. Tank, you and Les can team and I'll go with Roman. Roman will be remote. I don't even want the Feds to know about him or the extra rooms." I had a bad feeling. My spidey sense was in overdrive.

Roman had known Ranger, I'm not even sure how. He was the first guy Ranger recruited when we came to DC. He had been a sniper and then did work for the CIA. That was about all I knew about Roman.

He was tall and blond with shaggy hair. He looked like a surfer dude right up until you looked in his eyes. They reminded me of a shark's eyes. Roman kind of scared me. I'd never had a personal conversation with him and he seemed to avoid me at times, but I knew he watched me when he thought I wasn't looking. It seemed like he was always close, but stayed in the shadows at a distance. He had stayed on after Ranger died, and did excellent work so I guess I couldn't complain. Ranger trusted him and that was good enough for me.

At 7PM we loaded up to take our shift with Ruiz. Les and Tank went in one vehicle and Roman and I went in the other.

Roman and I rode for a while in silence. In for a penny in for a pound I thought.

"How did you know Ranger" I blurted out.

Roman's expression never changed and he never took his eyes off the road. I thought for a minute he wouldn't answer me.

"Ranger saved my life. I got captured by the Vega cartel and Ranger got me out."

The hair on the back of my neck stood up. Roman and Ranger both knew Vega before Ranger took the job. What the hell. Did Ranger take the job to settle old scores?

My eyes cut to Roman and unease slithered through me. Roman must have sensed my distress. When we parked at the hotel Roman turned to me and put his hand on my arm. I flinched at the touch and he quickly removed his hand and something like sorrow flashed across his face. I immediately regretted pulling away.

He locked eyes with me. "You should know, I owe Ranger my life. I will do anything for Ranger and I will do anything to keep you safe." Roman and I stared at each other and I reached over and touched his arm. Roman smiled at me and I smiled back and nodded.

I got out of the SUV thinking it was odd that Roman referred to Ranger in the present tense. Roman didn't strike me as a guy that needed to move through the seven stages of grief. Roman struck me as a guy well acquainted with the finality of death.

Roman disappeared into the night and I went inside the hotel and up to Ruiz room.

Just my luck that prick Wyland was coming down the hall. I sighed and steeled my spine.

"So nice the pussy brigade has arrived to be entertainment" he snarled. "Hopefully Ruiz gets blown not blown away tonight." Wyland laughed at his own clever turn of phrase.

What the hell? This was the second time Wyland had used a reference to the events of the party. The only way he would know that is if he had been there or had seen the body cam footage. The implications of either were not good. I ignored him and kept walking.

"What's in the duffle?" Wyland wanted to know.

I gave him the death glare "props."

"You think you are really one smart cookie, but really you are just an uppity cunt. I can't wait for you to get knocked off your high-horse" he hissed and walked off. I thought that seemed like a lot of metaphors for an idiot, but ignored him.

Tank let me in. He and Les were babysitting Ruiz. Ruiz rolled his eyes when I walked in.

I stalked over to Ruiz and threw the duffle at him. "Take all your clothes off and put these on" I commanded. I'd brought Ruiz a sweatsuit, socks, and tennis shoes.

"You want me to take off my clothes?" Ruiz sounded incredulous.

"It's your lucky day" I deadpanned and pointed to the bathroom. Ruiz complied.

My spidey sense was clanging.

Tank raised an eyebrow at me.

"I don't want to accidentally pick-up any unnecessary bugs if we have to move him." Tank gave a little nod.

A few uneventful hours passed. I wanted to relax but I still felt on edge. This whole thing felt like a set-up. I heard a whisper of movement in the hall. Tank, Les and I looked at each other.

I leapt up and grabbed Ruiz and hustled him into the adjoining room, quickly closing and locking the door behind us. I heard the crack of the door as it was kicked open in the other room, and then I heard a flash bang. Gunfire immediately followed. My heart was in my throat. I wanted to help Les and Tank but my job was Ruiz.

I heard Roman in my ear. Two teams. One inside the hotel. One outside. He was in the alley. I knew I had just seconds to act. I pushed Ruiz into the bathroom, out the window and down the fire escape at a rapid clip. The other room was eerily quiet.

Roman was waiting with the SUV. I bundled Ruiz in the back of the SUV. He looked terrified and his hands were shaking, but he was cooperating. My eyes locked with Roman. "Go" I hissed and started back to the fire escape. I had to get to Tank and Les.

I felt Roman hook me around the waist and pick me up. "No" he whispered in my ear. I struggled against him trying to get free.

"I have to get to them" I cried out. Roman's grip was unyielding. "No" he said again. He hauled me off my feet and shoved me through the driver's side door into the SUV and drove off.

Anger was vibrating off me in waves. How dare he man-handle me when my family needed help.

"Tank Report!"

"Les Report!" I barked into the comms. I repeated myself three more times.

Silence. Tears were starting to well in my eyes. I was terrified they were dead. My entire RangeMan family wiped out in a single night.

I heard some crackling and then Les' voice came over loud and clear. "Two tangos down. Tank has a gunshot to the upper thigh. We are on the way to George Washington University hospital. What is the status of the package?"

"Package secure" I replied. I was surprised my voice sounded normal. Almost calm. Roman reached out and squeezed my hand.

Roman and I took Ruiz to a RangeMan safehouse and got him settled.

"Thank you" I told Roman.

Roman gave a slight nod. "So, I'm not fired?"

I arched an eyebrow at him.

"Good to know. Want to go interrogate Ruiz?"

"Yep. Good talk. We should do it more often" I said and rolled my eyes.

Roman laughed. Who knew Mr. Stick-up-his-ass had a sense of humor?

I grilled Ruiz about Vega's operation and who he might be using as an informant. Ruiz admitted he had heard Vega say he had someone at the FBI, but didn't know the identity of the mole. I believed him. Ruiz had literally wet his pants, I was pretty sure he wouldn't withhold information knowing it could kill him. Ruiz swore he hadn't arranged the hit on Vega, and he'd gotten out of the house by pure dumb luck. Another damn dead end.

I called Barnes and had a very pointed discussion with him. He confirmed the two dead attackers were members of the Vega cartel. He also confirmed that Ruiz had a tracker planted on his clothes. This is probably the only reason Roman and I got out clean. The second team was watching the tracker and it hadn't moved.

Of course, the FBI didn't know I had Roman on the team either so nobody thought to look for him. That gave me a moment's pause. Somebody had set-up Ruiz to get killed on RangeMan's watch. This wasn't just blind luck. Ruiz was put in an unsecure location and tagged with a tracker. The only people that had access to Ruiz in the last 48 hours were the FBI.

Barnes finally admitted he was afraid he had a mole in his group, and agreed to let RangeMan provide protection for Ruiz at an undisclosed location. Only Barnes would be privy to the location information.

Another RangeMan team arrived and Roman and I went back to headquarters. I called the hospital to check on Tank. He was going to be fine, but they wanted to keep him overnight. I knew he would be thrilled about that.

I went into the apartment and stripped off my clothes. I needed a shower. I heard he door open. I pulled on a robe and went out to find Les.

I knew he was suffering from adrenaline burn-off. He looked exhausted and there was a slight tremor to his hand. He was sitting in a kitchen chair working on the straps of his Kevlar vest. I put my hand on his shoulder and gave a little squeeze. I helped him with the vest and pulled it up over his head.

"How about some hot cocoa?" I asked.

Les smiled. "Sounds good."

"Everyone knows cocoa cures whatever is wrong" I winked.

"I need a shower" Les said and headed to the bathroom.

He stopped at the door and turned to face me. "Want to join me?"

I locked eyes with Les. The smile was Les the charmer, but the eyes were Les the predator. "Pass" I said.

"Is that a hard pass?" Les asked.

I thought about it for a minute. "No."

"Then I'll leave the door unlocked" he said and went in. I heard the shower turn on.

I walked over to the bathroom door and stood there for a minute contemplating all the reasons this was a horrible idea.

Something inside me had awakened. I couldn't deny that. Ranger was dead, but I was still alive. I thought about Les. He was sexy and funny. I loved him, but would never be in love with him. I trusted him. He was the perfect candidate for casual sex.

My thoughts drifted to Montero. I liked him a lot. And, that was the problem. Montero would never be casual sex material, because I already felt connected to him. If I ended up in his bed, I would want to stay. He had that force field that just reeled me in.

I put my hand on the knob. I'd made a decision. I turned the knob and walked in. No one would ever accuse me of good judgement or common sense.

Steam was swirling around and I could see Les naked in the shower. Desire pulsed through me. He had a magnificent body. He looked over and held out his hand to me.

I put my hands on the belt of my robe. I hesitated for a second, and took a deep breath. I dropped the robe and took his hand. He pulled me into the shower and under the hot spray.

We took turns soaping each other's bodies and exploring them. Learning just how to touch the other. I was beyond primed. "Please" I whispered.

Les reached down and picked me up. My legs were wrapped around his waist. He backed me up until my back was resting on the tile. The tile felt cool on my back, and he used the wall for support.

He hooked one arm under each knee and spread my legs wide. I could feel his cock throbbing against my entrance. I tried to wriggle down onto it, but he held me still. I made a sound of protest. I'd forgotten just how strong he was. He was effortlessly holding me up against the wall, but I could tell it was taking every ounce of control he had not to thrust inside me. I could see the cords in his neck and the tension in his jaw.

"Please." I knew I was begging and didn't care.

"Steph, I need you to look at me" Les commanded.

I did. "I need you to be sure this is what you really want."

I looked at him like he was insane. I was in a shower with him naked, legs spread wide, literally begging him to take me, and he wanted to be sure? If I hadn't been about to spontaneously combust, I might have appreciated the gesture.

I looked him in the eyes. "Les" I wanted to make sure he knew I was making love to him and not some Ranger substitute. "I really, really want to do this with you."

He leaned forward and kissed me all serious and demanding and then thrust inside of me.

I cried out from the shock of him being inside me. He immediately stilled and let my body adjust to him before he continued. He set a nice easy pace.

"More" I panted. "Harder."

"Dios, woman you are going to kill me" he whispered against my ear, but eagerly complied with my demands.

Les was right. When I came, I was screaming his name.

We reached for each other twice more during the night. When I woke up Les was gone, but he had left a note. The note said make it a happy day.

I smiled and rolled out of bed. I was sore in places I had forgotten about. I smiled. I was definitely well fucked, and that seemed like a good way to start the day as far as I was concerned.

I went into the bathroom and turned on the shower. I wasn't sure I was ever going to be able to look at this shower quite the same way ever again.


	8. Chapter 8

I went downstairs for roll call. "Boss" Les said as I walked in the room. A hush fell. It was business as usual.

I went back to my office and thought about Montero. I needed to give him an update from last night. A little zing of electricity went through me at the prospect of seeing him.

I pushed it away and thought about Les. Last night had been incredible, but I wasn't sure I wanted it to happen again. Given our current living arrangements, I was concerned it would be awkward. Would Les just assume we would be sleeping together now? Ugh, I really was good at ignoring all the red flags and forging ahead with stupidity.

I was thinking about whacking my head on the desk, when I heard a knock at the door. Les was standing in the doorway. "Boss you got a minute?" he asked.

I nodded. He came in, closed the door and sat down.

"Steph, as much as we both needed last night, I know it was probably a one-time thing. Some things don't change. You're not a girl that does casual sex and I'm not a guy you're ever going to love." I saw a flash of sorrow, or maybe it was regret, cross his face. I started to interrupt, but he held up his hand.

"I know you love me" he said "but you and I both know you will never love me like that. Don't get me wrong, I'm up" he stopped and waggled his eyebrows for emphasis "for whatever you want, any time you want it, but I'm not going to expect it. You are my friend. You are my family. Nothing will ever change that."

"When did you get to be the adult" I smiled. I had tears in my eyes.

"I have my moments" he shrugged. "Besides there is the Montero factor to consider."

My face flamed red. "What do you mean the Montero factor" I said waving my hand dismissively and trying to sound casual.

Les laughed. "Come on Steph. I saw how the two of you looked at each other. If it got any hotter the damn sidewalk would have combusted."

I didn't ask how he had seen that. I knew RangeMan was wired for sound and sight everywhere.

"That's crazy" I said. "I don't have a thing for Montero. He is just a business associate." It was clear I was trying to convince myself more than Les.

"Riiiight, and I'm the Easter Bunny" Les said. "Steph, Montero is a good man. I think it is great. You deserve to be happy."

"You do?"

"I do." Les walked around and gave me a quick kiss on the lips. A quick kiss that lingered and turned hot with a lot of tongue in about two seconds flat.

When we parted his eyes were dilated black and I was panting. I rested my head on his forehead. "I'm not so sure this was a one and done" I whispered.

"I have to go get Tank before he stages a prison break or before I take you bent over this desk" Les said and left.

I thought the bent over the desk idea had merit.

I looked over at the clock. It was barely 7 AM, but I knew Montero would be up. I dialed his number. He answered on the first ring.

"Plum, what a nice way to start the day" he greeted me.

I smiled. "I have some news."

"Want to meet at our place in half an hour?" he asked.

"Yes." My voice sounded all breathy.

I could feel him smiling through the phone. "I'll see you in a few" and he hung up.

I stood-up and looked down. I was in all RangeMan black again today. I definitely had the queen of the damned thing in full swing. I groaned. I wish I'd worn something else and made a mental note to buy some clothes that looked like a normal person might actually wear them. Fake it til you make it I thought.

I did a mental head slap and told myself to stop. What was wrong with me. Who cared what Montero thought? The last time I saw the man he'd dumped me at the door and ran like his hair was on fire. The man was not interested. The do not touch vibe couldn't have been any clearer. That was just me being an idiot, or sex deprived or both. Of course, none of that rationalization stopped me from putting on some tinted lip gloss and a few swipes of mascara before I left.

I grabbed my windbreaker and headed out. I stopped at the Starbucks and got two hot chocolates. I rationalized that I got one for him, only because it would be rude if I didn't.

I hoofed it to the Lincoln Memorial. Montero was waiting for me. He was bathed in the early morning light. I stumbled a little. The man was magnificent and looking at him stole my breath. I had to will my legs to keep going.

I pasted what I hoped was a friendly greeting on my face. Montero closed the distance to me.

"I need to be clear about something. I need to clarify about last night… I owe an apology, or an explanation, I … oh hell never mind" he said and reached a hand behind my neck and pulled me to him and kissed me. The kiss was soft and gentle. A tentative exploration. When I responded, he kissed me again and it became serious and demanding with lots of tongue.

The cups of hot chocolate dropped unnoticed out of my hands and made a little plopping noise when they hit the ground. I wrapped my arms around his neck and drank him in. He tasted like coffee and peppermint. He smelled spicy with just a hint of musk, and that made me moan. Damn could that man kiss.

We stood in the morning sunlight making out in front of the Lincoln Memorial like a couple of teenagers. When we pulled away, we were both breathing hard.

"Wow" I breathed "This is going to be complicated." My hand went up involuntarily and touched my lips. They were slightly swollen.

"Yeah" he said "It is probably a bad idea."

"Good thing I'm not prone to good judgement or common sense" I said.

"I like that about you Plum" he said and kissed me again.

Finally, he pulled away from me and took my hand. We walked down the National Mall and took a seat on a bench near the reflecting pool.

"So now that is clarified" he grinned "what do you have to tell me."

I told him about the attempted hit on Ruiz last night and what Ruiz had said about Vega having an FBI mole. His eyes were dark and his mouth was set in a grim line while he listened.

"Do you think the government will still make a deal with Vega?" I asked. "He did just try to assassinate a government witness."

Montero considered it a minute. "Yeah, I think they will just look the other way. Too much is riding on finding the mole."

"Do you think the mole will try and kill Vega?" I asked?

"Vega was smart by going through Kincaid. The FBI isn't involved so I doubt the mole knows, and I doubt Vega would kill the mole. Without the mole Vega doesn't have much to bargain with" he replied.

I chewed on that for a minute. Our best bet was still to watch Vega and see if he would lead us to the mole. If we could take the mole out, Vega would no longer be untouchable. Vega could be prosecuted. Failing that the other cartel leaders would take him out, and that would work just fine too I figured. Dead or in a cage I didn't care. I just didn't want the bastard living on a ranch in Montana.

Montero looked at me and cupped my chin. "I'm really glad you are OK" he said. He brushed a kiss across my lips and we stood up to leave.

"I have shift with Kincaid tonight to watch Vega" I told him. "Some guy named Reyes."

Montero nodded. "Reyes will pick you up at RangeMan."

I nodded and turned to leave.

Montero called to me "Hey Plum."

I turned around. He was grinning at me "you owe me a hot chocolate."

I grinned back and left.

I was stilling grinning like and idiot when I got back to RangeMan. I looked up and Les was grinning at me. He came over so no one else could hear and winked at me. "It went that good with Montero?"

I tried to stifle my grin but gave up it. The smile on my face just kept rebounding. "You're a wise man Lester Santos" I said.

"I'm really glad. You deserve to be happy again" he said. He gave my arm a squeeze and ambled off. I looked after him. Les was right. What happened between us had been awesome and just what we both needed at the time, but it did need to be a one and done. Continuing to sleep with Les wasn't fair to either of us.

Sleeping with Montero that was a whole different dilemma. I could easily get sucked into the depths of those blue eyes. I wasn't even sure it was something I was ready for but I knew after this morning that is exactly where we were headed.

I touched my lip again and felt heat swirl through me at the memory. I was definitely in trouble.


	9. Chapter 9

Reyes and I had the evening surveillance shift. At 7 PM I was outside RangeMan waiting. A slick little black BMW pulled up.

I saw a dark head pop out followed by a well-muscled body. Reyes turned and nodded to me. Wow, I thought they must put something in the water over there at Kincaid.

This guy was gorgeous. Dark hair, dark eyes, caramel colored skin. Reyes walked up and shook my hand.

"I'm Reyes" he said.

"Reyes. Is that like Cher or Madonna or something? Do you have a first name Reyes?" I asked.

"Yes ma'am" he replied.

"Yes, as in you have a first name or I should just call you Cher?"

His lips twitched and I could see a smile in his eyes.

"Antonio Reyes, at your service ma'am" he gave a little bow and chuckled.

"I'm Stephanie" I said.

I saw something flash in his eyes like recognition. I thought that was weird because I knew I had never met him before. I would have definitely remembered him.

"It is a pleasure to meet you" he said. His voice was deep and rich. He reminded me of Ranger.

I suddenly felt a prickle of awareness. I absently rubbed the back of my neck and scanned the street.

"What is it?" Reyes asked instantly aware and scanning the buildings.

I shook my head. "Nothing. Just ghosts, I guess."

Reyes opened the door for me and I got in.

We went over the plan for the evening as we drove to Vega's. We parked a good way away and used binoculars to watch the residence. The lights in the house were on, but not much was going on. Kincaid had men at the back gate as well. Once Vega had gone to ground no one had seen much movement in or out of the compound.

We sat in silence for a while and suddenly Reyes looked over at me. "I knew Ranger" he said. "He was a very good man. I'm really sorry for your loss."

I was startled and stared at him for a beat. "Thank you. He was the best" I whispered past the lump in my throat. "How did you know him?"

"A few years ago, Ranger and I did a couple of jobs together. I recognized you from the picture."

"Picture?" I asked, confused.

"Yes, Ranger kept a picture of you with him, always. He would regale us with stories of his Babe the bounty hunter. I felt like I knew you. I can see he didn't exaggerate." He smiled. "You really burned down a funeral home?"

I nodded "Guilty." I was having a hard time reconciling the notion that Ranger had spoken more than ten words, let alone been a chatty Cathy. There was a lot I didn't know about Ranger.

I sat there for a second longer and contemplated what Reyes had said. Ranger had kept my picture with him for years? Long before we were ever a couple? Ranger had always said he loved me, I guess I hadn't really believed him because somehow, I thought love came with a ring. I realized Ranger's love for me was far greater than I'd ever known.

I felt tears fall on my cheeks. "I'm sorry."

Reyes brushed the tears away with his knuckles. "He said you were the love of his life."

"And he was mine" I replied.

We sat in silence for a while. "Montero is a good man" Reyes said. "I think Ranger would have approved."

I started shaking my head. "Oh no, Montero and I aren't a thing. I mean… well we're just…." Shit I had no idea what we were. I sounded like a lunatic.

Reyes laughed "Right."

Just then I saw Montero approaching the car. Reyes rolled down the window to greet him. Huge grin pasted on his face.

"I thought Plum might need a break from you" he said to Reyes. Montero's eyes moved between me and Reyes with a questioning look.

Reyes cut his eyes to me and raised his eyebrows.

I gave Reyes the death glare. "Not a word Reyes."

"Yes ma'am" he replied and got out the car laughing.

Montero got in and handed me a cup. "What was that all about?"

"Nothing" I mumbled. Geez did everyone know I had the hots for Montero?

We drank our hot chocolate and chatted for a while about nothing in particular, just regular get to know you kind of things. Favorite food, movies, books.

"How long have you worked at RangeMan" Montero asked me.

"Not long" I said. Which was true. I'd been with RangeMan less than two years even though I'd been around RangeMan much longer.

"Before or after Manoso left?" Montero continued.

"Mainly after." I guess left was the new euphemism for killed, burned and buried in a mass grave. I shook off the thought.

"So, you didn't know him well?"

I thought about that for a beat. After what Reyes had told me, I wasn't sure I'd ever known Ranger.

"No" I said. "Not all that well I guess."

Montero nodded. "I know him, well more of him, I guess. He is a solid operator. He seems like a good guy."

For a dead man I thought.

I felt kind of like a rat, but I decided now was a good time to learn more about Vega. "You said Vega was responsible for your fiancée's death. What did you mean?"

"Yes, Lillian was my fiancée. Lillian Beckett."

"Tell me about her."

Montero went on to tell me that he and Lillian were high school sweethearts. She'd gone to college and he'd gone into the SEALs. They'd both joined law enforcement. He went with the US Marshals and she went to the FBI. Given their schedules spending time together had been hard. He said they'd been engaged forever, but never could manage to pull off a wedding. He had wanted to elope, and she had wanted a big wedding.

He talked about her with such affection. She was smart and brave. He said her death had been devastating. Although he admitted sometimes it felt more like they were friends than lovers. She did a lot of undercover work and the reality was they only spent a few weeks a year together. He wanted her to take a different job, but she liked undercover work. She promised just one more assignment and then she would ask for a transfer.

He said they'd fought about it. He felt bad that the last time he'd seen her alive they had a fight. She'd taken yet another assignment to go undercover. Her target had been Vega and his operation.

"I'd do anything to have her back. To be able to go back to that moment and redo that conversation." He sighed.

I thought how much that sounded like the last time I'd seen Ranger. I'd do anything to have Ranger back. To have more time. I felt a rock in my stomach and an empty space in my chest. I wondered did it ever really get better or was Les just full of shit.

I casually asked if he knew if there were other players in the Vega operation. He said he didn't know. While he had clearance, he didn't have many answers. Her cover had been blown and she had disappeared. Other team members were found dead, but her body was never recovered.

I could hear a buzzing in my head. Just like Ranger. It had to be the same operation. Drug cartel, mole, mass grave. All the same. I wanted to tell Montero about Ranger, but something held me back.

"How long ago?" I asked.

"One year, nine months and a few days" he replied.

I couldn't breathe.

"You OK?"

I nodded and managed to speak. "Sorry, yes" I said "It is just all so sad." I reached out and took Montero's hand. "You may not be able to bring her back, but we can at least get her justice."

He blew out a breath. "Not really date material is it?"

I shook my head. "Don't be silly. She was a big part of your life and always will be. We should always be able to talk about the people we love."

"Ever been married?" Montero asked.

I thought about it. I didn't really count my disastrous and short-lived first marriage.

"Almost" I replied.

"What happened?"

"He died" I said simply.

"I guess that makes us both screwed-up" Montero said.

"Yes, in a very large way" I replied.

We moved on to other topics.

Our replacements arrived and Montero drove me home. I told him to park two blocks from RangeMan. Hope springs eternal I thought.

"Do you want to go to dinner tomorrow?" Montero asked.

"Dinner?"

"Yeah, you know where you sit down to eat and pretend to be civilized" he smiled.

I thought about it. I wanted to do dinner and a whole lot more if I were honest. Unfortunately, I had lots of work and not a lot of time. Between Ruiz, Vega, and all our other clients we were stretched thin. This being an adult thing really sucked.

I sighed. "I can't, but I might be able to get away for coffee."

Montero smiled and my heart stopped. The man was gorgeous. "Plum, I'll take whatever you can give me. Text me and let me know."

He pulled me close and gave me a proper kiss, that felt a little chaste. I was a little disappointed. Montero must have read my thoughts.

"Plum I'd probably be to third base by now if I didn't think Tank would kick my ass."

What? I whipped my head around and Tank was standing with his arms crossed over his chest watching us.

"Oh shit."

"My thoughts exactly" Montero laughed.

"Tank can be a little protective. I'll see you tomorrow" and hopped out the car.

Tank was watching me. His expression unreadable. I didn't know how Tank was going to react to me kissing Montero. While he had pushed me to declare Ranger dead and move on, I'm not sure he included sex in the equation. Tank had been fiercely loyal to Ranger.

"How's the leg?" I figured I'd go for perky and pretend like he hadn't just seen me trying to grope Montero.

"Fine."

Tank always was the talkative one I thought.

"You and Montero?" Tank asked.

I winced. "Yeah, it's nothing."

"Didn't look like nothing."

I looked at Tank. He was grinning. "I'm glad baby girl. It's about time you were happy again." Tank pulled me to him and hugged me.

I'm not sure which one of us was more stunned.

I went up to the apartment. Les was waiting for me. "How'd it go with Vega? "

"Nothing to report." I knew patience wasn't my strong suit, but I wanted answers and waiting was killing me.

I thought about taking a shower and heat rushed to my face. Oh lord had that just been last night. Desire skittered through me. What was wrong with me? I'd been ready to do Montero in the car and now I was having thoughts about Les. I really needed to get a grip.

Les was eyeing me suspiciously. "Everything OK?"

I nodded. "I'm going to bed."

"Do you want me to sit with you while you fall asleep?" Les offered.

I thought about it for a minute. "I think I may be OK" I realized it was true. I was going to be OK. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow, but someday. "Want to have waffles tomorrow?" I asked Les.

"Hell yeah" he said grinning. Les knew I was going to be OK too.


	10. Chapter 10

The next few days passed in a whirlwind. Vega was still holed up and Ruiz was still a pain in the ass. I managed to carve out lunch, coffee, and a quick dinner with Montero. I found myself thinking about him a lot. I looked forward to talking to him. Every time the phone rang and it was him, I'd get a little rush. I found myself missing him if we hadn't talked, and looking forward to the next time I could steal away and see him.

We spent a lot of time talking and getting to know one another. Montero and I also had some serious make-out sessions, but we were taking that pretty slow as well.

Montero was easy going, fun, and very open. I found it refreshing. I knew about his family, his career, his favorite color, his favorite sports team and his favorite food. I knew I was falling for Montero and I was pretty sure he was falling for me.

Sometimes I found myself comparing my relationship to Montero with my relationship to Ranger. Ranger had always been a closed book. I found I resented that a little. I accepted that Ranger couldn't tell me about some aspects of his work or past, but why didn't I know his favorite color? Was it black? Or had he just favored black because it hid blood stains?

I guess I'd hit the anger stage of grief.

At 4:30 PM my phone rang. It was Montero.

"Hey you" I said.

"Hey yourself" Montero sounded a little weird. It made my heart do a little flutter skip. These days I was always waiting on the hammer to drop.

"What's up?" I knew I sounded suspicious.

"I thought you might want to get away with me this weekend" Montero said.

I felt a rush of heat go through my body. "I'd love to but I don't think I can take that much time off." I was pretty sure I knew where going away for the weekend would lead and my body was screaming hell yes, but the adult part was saying you have obligations.

"Tank said he could swing it. That you could take the weekend off?"

"You talked to Tank?" I asked incredulously.

"I did" Montero sounded tentative

"You're a brave man Montero. If Tank says I can go then I'm all yours." Shit, all yours had I just said that. I whacked the heel of my hand to my forehead.

"Yes, Plum, you are. I'll pick you up at 7PM" and Montero rang off.

My heart was pounding and my palms were sweating. The good days were starting to outnumber the bad.

I also realized Montero thought I worked for Tank. While I'd been open about my family and other aspects of my life, I'd never corrected him about RangeMan. I hadn't lied. I'd just omitted things and let him make his own assumptions. I'd certainly learned from the master I thought sourly.

I looked up and Les and Tank were outside my door. Tank was shifting from foot to foot nervously. Eyes glued to the floor.

"Gentlemen" I said.

They came in and closed my door. "Steph, we need to talk" Tank said.

"Well?"

Tank looked Les, Les looked to me. I was starting to feel dread building up inside me. Whatever it was this must be bad. I steeled myself for the bad news. Had we lost track of Vega? Terrorist attack? My mind was whirling.

Les finally spoke. "We need to go shopping."

I stared at Les dumbstruck. "What?" I stuttered. Shopping?" my voice had gone up an octave.

It was Tank's turn. "You can't go away with Montero this weekend looking like that" he declared gesturing at my RangeMan uniform.

I narrowed my eyes at them both. I didn't even bother to ask why they were gossiping about my weekend with Montero. There were no secrets between Les and Tank. That caused me a moment's pause. I sure hoped there was at least one secret between them. Les was still ambulatory so I figured, he must have kept our one night together to himself.

"Look Steph, we love you, but you're looking kinda scary" Les forged on. "I went through your closet."

I put up my hand in a stop gesture. "Back-up, you went through my closet?"

"Well, yes and your lingerie" Les was oblivious to the fact I was giving him the death glare. "You've got nothing in there that is going to work. I'll take the lingerie and evening wear. I think I can uh, well guess your sizes". My eyes narrowed. We both knew there was no guessing about it. "Tank can take you for the daywear, and we will meet back in" Les checked his dive watch "one hour and thirty minutes to regroup."

My life was officially off the rails. I looked down at myself and decided Les had a point. I was starting to warm to the idea.

"OK" Les and Tank looked relieved. Les headed for the door.

I called after him "Les I don't want to look like a hooker." Les waved and gave me a wolf grin.

Oh boy. I was in trouble.

Tank and I headed to the mall in Pentagon City. We were both dressed in RangeMan black, and Tank was hard to miss. We made quite a sight. People kept murmuring and quickly moving out of our way. The sales clerk looked like she might faint.

I was in the dressing room and Tank was bringing in selections.

I stepped out and showed him a blouse. "No" Tank said.

"No? What's wrong with this one?" I was starting to get exasperated.

"Washes out your complexion" Tank said.

I stared at him for a minute trying to reconcile this conversation in my head. Tank the bad-ass mercenary that could kill you ten ways with his bare hands, thought the blouse washed out my complexion. Surely one day I would discover I was like Jim Carrey in the Truman Show.

Of course, Tank did have cats named Miss Kitty, Suzy and Applepuff. Perhaps he also had a secret addiction to the home shopping network and color wheels. I looked in the mirror. Eh, Tank was right. I shrugged off the blouse, and he handed me a different one giving me a told you so look.

"Did Montero tell you where we were going or what we are doing?" I asked

"No, we will have to improvise. Make sure we have all the based covered" Tank said. He was approaching this like a joint military operation with the same focus and tactical planning.

An hour later we loaded the bags in the SUV. Not a single thing was black.

When I let myself into the apartment Les was waiting. He had the selections spread out for me to see. I was impressed. It was tasteful but sexy and surprisingly practical. A couple of lacy bras. One in light pink, the other tan. Several pairs of matching lacy boy shorts, a camisole, a light green silky negligee and a box of condoms.

I hugged him. "These are perfect. Are you sure you are OK with this?"

I thought I saw something warring in his eyes for a second, then his grinned snapped into place. "Absolutely, Montero is a lucky guy. Now get your beautiful ass in there and get ready" He gave me a little shove towards the bathroom and a playful swat on the ass.

At 6:49 PM Tank was banging on the bathroom door. I rolled my eyes and stepped out of the bathroom for inspection. I had on a pair of jeans, a white V-neck t-shirt and a tan jacket. Tank and Les decided I passed, and handed me my roller bag and pushed me to the elevator. They were hovering at the door, pacing like anxious parents on prom night when I went outside to meet Montero.

Montero was leaned up against the black Mercedes arms crossed over his chest. When he saw me, he pushed up off the car and looked me over from head-to-toe. He clearly liked what he saw. Anticipation hummed through me.

He gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and leaned in and whispered in my ear. "The parents are watching or that would have been a very different greeting" I could feel him grinning against my ear.

"Yes, they are" I said and slid into the leather seat. I had a weird moment of déjà vu when I slid into the Mercedes, but quickly brushed it away.

Montero and I drove to a beach house just outside of Ocean City. "I thought the Jersey girl might want a day or two at the shore. I hope this is OK" Montero said

"Perfect." And, it was. It was a small beach house right on the ocean with wrap around porches and an old-fashioned porch swing.

Montero unloaded our bags and we went inside. He stopped in the family room and looked at me. "Do you want your bag in the guest bedroom or my bedroom?"

It was decision time. My mouth was dry and my knees felt a little weak. I knew I wanted to be in his bed, but I was terrified that once I got there I was never going to want to get out. I was pretty sure I was falling in love with this man. No, scratch that. I was pretty sure I was already in love with this man.

Montero was watching me intently, unmoving, waiting for me to answer.

"Your bedroom" I finally said.

Montero nodded and I followed him to the bedroom. It was a light seafoam green with a king-size bed that had a fluffy white comforter and coordinated pillows that brought in the colors of the room and the ocean. It had magnificent views of the ocean and French doors that opened to a private screened-in porch. The whole house had a light and airy feel to it.

"This place is beautiful" I breathed.

"I'm glad you like it" a broad smile spread across his face. "You should have seen it when I first bought it. All dark wood and closed in. I've been remodeling it for almost two years. It has been good to have a project." He shrugged.

I'm not sure why I was surprised this was his house and his design come to life. It had a lot of his personality in it now that I looked around.

Montero's eyes cut to the bed and then back to me. "I know it's late and you must be tired" he started.

"Montero" I snapped. "Will you get over here and kiss me already."

He grinned. "Yes, ma'am!"

In one stride he was in front of me. He put his hand behind my neck and pulled me to him. The kiss was bone melting. I heard myself whimper and I fumbled with his shirt. He helped me pull it up and off.

I was mesmerized by his broad chest and hard abs. He had soft, dark hair on his chest that trailed south. I ran my hands over his perfect chest and heard him suck in breath and harden against me.

He pulled my jacket and t-shirt off and took his finger and traced the swell of my breast along the top of my bra. I saw his eyes darken. Score one for Les I thought absently.

He unhooked my bra and discarded it. He trailed kisses down my neck to my collarbone. I saw him frown a little when he saw the scar from the gunshot wound on my right shoulder. He trailed his fingers over it and bent and kissed it.

"Stalker" I murmured by way of explanation.

"You are a fascinating woman Plum."

"Hmmm" Sure I thought, and there would be plenty of time to talk about that later. Right now, I had one thing on my mind and I was pursuing that goal with single-minded focus.

I reached down and unbuttoned his jeans. I was really liking this whole button fly concept. It reminded me of unwrapping a Christmas present.

He sprang free and I reached down to stroke him. Holy shit was all I could think. Montero was magnificent everywhere. I felt a little tremor of uncertainty. I wasn't even sure I could manage that thing, but what the hell I was definitely willing to give it a try. I'd never been a quitter. I figured why start now. I'd give it as many tries as it took.

"You're smiling" he whispered against my ear. "I'm hanging out here Plum. I'm not sure how to take that." He was grinning at me. He knew damn well why I was smiling.

"Just admiring the view."

I felt him push my jeans and panties down over my hips. We were both naked and he pulled me to the bed.

He began licking and kissing his way down my body with a stop at my breasts. He spent time licking, sucking and caressing each one of them. Then he continued his journey down to my belly button, and lower abdomen until he reached the juncture of my thighs. He gently pushed my thighs open and settled between them where he spent the next several minutes kissing, licking, exploring and making me forget my own name. My hands were fisted in his dark hair and I came fast and hard.

I was still dazed and panting when he leaned back on his heels and donned a condom.

"Open for me" he commanded.

I readily complied. I let me legs fall open, exposing my most intimate parts for him.

"You are beautiful". His blue eyes were dark with desire, and I had the most random thought that we would surely have blue eyed babies.

He moved over me and laced his fingers with mine. I felt him gently nudge part way inside me. I gasped and squirmed against him. He immediately stilled and gave me time to adjust. I had a momentary flash of panic that maybe I couldn't do this.

"Just relax, we can go as slow as you need. We have all night" he whispered against the shell of my ear. He gave me a moment and then pushed the rest of the way inside me. The pleasure was exquisite as he began to move against me, and I had a whisper of a thought that this man could make me forget far more than just my name.

The next morning as I drifted up from sleep, I felt warm, strong arms around me. I felt protected and loved. I snuggled closer to the warmth and I felt the arms tighten around me and a kiss on my head. I started awake. This was not a dream.

I realized I was draped across Montero's chest. I looked up and stared into the depths of his blue eyes. A woman could get lost in those eyes.

I stroked my hand down his body, and found a nice surprise. "How long have you been up?" I winced at my word choice.

I felt him chuckle. "A while."

I was now fully awake and fully aroused. I sat up and straddled him. I worked my way down onto his long length. He let me set the pace, and spent time exploring my breasts until neither of us could take much more. With lethal speed he flipped me on my back and drove us both over the edge.

I could get use to waking up like this.

When we finally made it out of bed, we brewed coffee and took it out on the porch. I checked my phone and I had ten messages from Tank and Les. I smiled and texted them back minus a few key details.

Montero made pancakes and I spent my time admiring the view. Mostly the ocean, but sometimes just him.

We decided to go to the beach and then explore the boardwalk. We drove to the Assateague National Seashore. It was too chilly to get in the water, but it was a beautiful day to walk on the beach and hike the trails looking for wildlife. We saw deer, egrets, a great blue heron, and even some of the famed wild horses. I was struck at how normal we were. Like two lovers on holiday rather than a couple of mercenaries for hire.

We left the beach and headed to boardwalk. We were walking hand-in-hand when I spotted a Dairyland.

"OMG" I squealed. "Look it's a Dairyland. We have to get ice cream."

"A woman after my own heart" he grinned.

"We could get a banana split and split it" I giggled.

Montero was looking at me his blue eyes unreadable. I thought maybe he thought I was a little nutty to be that crazy about some ice cream, but it had been damn near two years since I'd had any. That was a bit of a sobering thought.

"Careful Plum" his voice was rough "I could fall in love with a woman that has that kind of reaction over ice cream."

I knew it was just a joke, but my heart did a little stutter anyway. I decided to go for a playful response, which I hoped would cover the fact I was a little disappointed it was only a joke.

"Come on Montero" I said "you know you love me."

He was to me in one stride. He cradled my face in his hands and locked eyes with me. The rest of the world seemed to fade away as I stared into the depths of his eyes. "I know this is crazy, but I think I actually am in love with you."

"No, it's not crazy because I know I'm in love with you" I whispered.

We stood there for a beat and then he kissed me. It was a soul searing kiss that shook me from my head to my toes and all parts in between. I kissed him back putting all my feelings, all my fears, and all my hopes into the kiss.

I'm not sure how long we stood there kissing, but finally I heard someone tell us to get a room. We pulled away from each other laughing. We both thought that was a great suggestion and went back to the beach house and spent the rest of the afternoon making love.

It was crazy, we had known each other a couple of short weeks and it felt like we had known each other our whole lives. There was nothing weird or awkward. No games to be played. Saying I love you seemed like the most natural thing in the world. I thought maybe we should slow down, but then I thought why? Ranger and I had wasted years circling around each other like a pack of wild dogs and where had that gotten us? We'd lost so much time. In the end nobody really knew how much time they had. Living for the here and now was the only thing that made sense.

We had a lazy Sunday with more walks on the beach and a sailing trip. We finally got that banana split. All too soon, it was time to pack up and head back. We had put it off about as long as we could. Dark was fast approaching. We were in the process of closing out the beach house when Montero got a phone call.

I'd always known that bad things happen on pretty days, but I have to say, I never saw this one coming.

I could hear Montero's voice. It sounded like business, but with good news. He came back into the room with a satisfied look on his face.

I looked at him expectantly and then my world shattered.

"Manoso has finally done it!"

I shook my head. I must have misunderstood. "Did you say Manoso has finally done it? Done what?"

"Took out the last of Vega's operations. Now that son-of-a-bitch won't have any option but to reach back out to Kincaid and make a deal. Vega will have nowhere to run."

How could Ranger have taken out the last of Vega's operations? Ranger was long dead.

"What do you mean? Manoso is dead." My voiced sounded flat and far away.

Montero looked at me like I had two heads. "Manoso isn't dead. Are you OK? You look like you have seen a ghost?"

I felt my blood turn to ice, and I started to shake. "I think I have. Ranger has been dead for one year, nine months and twenty-one days" I whispered as I felt my knees buckle.

Montero caught me before I hit the floor and helped me sit on the edge of the bed. My vision was tunneling and I thought I might faint. He pushed my head between my knees for a couple of minutes.

When I looked up, I could see that something was starting to click into place for him. I saw his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed.

"Oh God" he said "you're her aren't you. You're not Stephanie Plum, you are Stephanie Manoso. Owner of RangeMan and Manoso's …wife." Montero looked pale.

I shook my head no. "No, I mean yes, I mean sort of." My voice sounded strangled.

Montero just crossed his arms across his chest and waited for me to explain.

"Yes, I run RangeMan now, and yes, I sometimes go by Manoso, but my name _is_ Stephanie Plum. Ranger and I were never married. You need to tell me what's going on."

"A lot of it is classified" he started.

I held up my hand. I looked pointedly from the bed to him. We had been about as close as two people could be. Now was not the time to pull this classified bullshit with me.

He sighed. "Ok, I'll tell you what I know. The day Lillian and the other agents were killed, Manoso just happened to be out of the compound. He was late getting back from some meeting. Otherwise, he would have been dead along with everyone else. He knew there was a mole and he couldn't trust the government. He called Thomas Kincaid, the owner of Kincaid securities. He and Thomas go way back."

Of course they did I thought bitterly. Everyone knows Ranger. Everyone but me, I guess.

Montero continued "Manoso told Thomas he was going to let the government think he was dead. It was safer that way for everyone including him and his wife. Being presumed dead would allow him to go deep cover. He and Thomas hatched a plan. If Manoso could cripple Vega's operation, either Vega would get picked off by a rival cartel or Vega would need to seek protection as a cooperating witness. Thomas and I have known each other for years. He reached out to me because he knew I was WitSec."

"You still are WitSec aren't you? You went undercover with Kincaid?" I interrupted. I realized that is why Montero didn't know about me. He wasn't part of the Kincaid inner circle and he wouldn't have run a background on me because he would have assumed Kincaid had already done that.

"Yes. I came on board with Kincaid and we put out feelers and planted information. Manoso has spent the last twenty-one months taking out Vega's operations one-by-one."

"You have been in touch with him this whole time?" I knew I sounded slightly hysterical.

"No, not me directly. He dealt with Thomas. Vega finally took the bait and reached out to Kincaid. We were supposed to make a deal at the party, but then the assassination attempt happened. You know the rest.".

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I figured either you knew, since you were tracking Vega and you were RangeMan, or you weren't supposed to know. If I had known who you were, I would have never kept this from you. Please, believe me I never wanted you hurt. I thought you were just an operator that worked for Tank. When I asked about you, Tank didn't tell me anything. He just said I should talk to you myself."

I nodded. I knew that. I thought there would have been a lot of things Montero would have kept from if he'd know who I was. I winced. Including his tongue and his other pretty magnificent parts out of my mouth for starters. This whole mess was my fault.

"Why didn't you tell me who you were?"

I looked at him. I know my expression must have been haunted. "I liked you…... I thought Ranger was gone, and I just wanted to move on and be normal again. I'm so sorry. I really fucked this up."

Montero pulled me into a hug. "It's OK. We will figure this out. "

"You're not mad?"

"No, Plum. How could I be? You didn't do anything wrong." He held me for a few minutes. Both of us lost in our own thoughts.

"So, Ranger is for sure alive?" my voice was surprisingly steady.

Montero shrugged. "As far as I know. He missed his last check-in but that doesn't mean he isn't alive".

"When was the last time Kincaid heard from him?"

"About a week ago."

Oh god. The enormity of it all hit me like a ton of bricks. Ranger was most likely alive, and I'd cheated on Ranger. No, not just cheated on Ranger but fallen in love with another man. A good man.

I raced to the bathroom and threw-up. This couldn't be happening. A sob escaped. What the hell was I going to do now. I stayed in the bathroom for a few minutes trying to compose myself. I rinsed out my mouth and splashed cold water on my face. I knew I couldn't put this off forever.

I came out of the bathroom and Montero was on the phone. His mouth was set in a grim line. He hung up the phone and sat down hard on the chair. He raked his hand across his face and looked up at me.

"Lillian is alive."

For the second time in one day the earth opened up and hell swallowed me.


	11. Chapter 11

Montero and I stood looking at each other for a minute. He bundled me to him and I clung to him for a few minutes.

"God, Plum. I don't know what to say. We are going to figure this out. I promise. I know this may change everything, but it will never change how I feel about you."

I thought that was a sweet but incredibly naïve thing to say. Montero wiped the tears off my cheeks and kissed my forehead.

We climbed into the car and drove in silence to the Freeway airstrip, each of us lost in our own private hell.

I thought I should probably call Tank and Les, but each time I picked up the phone to dial I couldn't bring myself to do it.

We pulled into the airfield and were escorted by two FBI agents. A gulfstream was parked on the tarmac. Lillian Becket descended the stairs.

Montero and I were standing side-by-side outside the car. He stood there staring for a couple of minutes and then turned to face me. His back was to Lillian.

He gave a negative shake of his head. "Plum, I don't know if I can do this. I don't know if I want to do this. I lo.." I put my fingers to his lips to stop him from saying it.

I took his face in both my hands and looked deep into those startling blue eyes. "I know" I said "me too, but that is your miracle standing there. She is the love of your life and you have a chance for a do over. How many times did you wish for this moment? Now go, Lillian needs you."

He nodded and turned away and started across the tarmac. I absently rubbed my hand over my heart. My chest felt empty. Tears fell unheeded down my cheeks.

I watched them for a few minutes. He reached for her and she flinched away. I knew she had been through hell, and I knew I'd done the right thing. I wondered if that were Ranger on the tarmac, what would I have done. Would I have run to him?

Montero turned and jogged back over to me. I quickly wiped my eyes and tried to smile.

"Lillian has something you need to hear."

Lillian, Montero, and I all went into a conference room in the business office of the airport.

Lillian was tall, thin, and blond. She was striking, but she had haunted eyes. I didn't want to think about what she had been through in the last twenty-one months. I could only imagine it was things nightmares were made of.

Montero introduced us. He introduced me as Stephanie Manoso. It felt a little like a kick in the gut.

When she spoke, her voice was soft but clear and strong. "Rafe, could you please get me some coffee. I'm freezing." It was clear she wanted to speak to me alone.

Montero got up and left.

"Thank you" she said.

"For what?"

"For sending him back to me. I know he is in love with you, and I know it's selfish but I don't think I could bear it" her voice trailed off.

I reached over and took her hands in mine. They were ice cold. "Look at me" I implored "that man loves you more than anything. It was never a choice. This has just been a big shock that's all." I didn't deny that Montero loved me. Lillian was far too sharp and her gaze far too assessing.

She didn't look like she believed me. I'm not sure I believed me, but it was the only thing I knew to say because the truth was far too scary to contemplate.

She nodded her head.

Montero walked back in and sat down. He handed us each a cup of coffee just the way we liked it. I'm not sure why, but it felt far too intimate.

Montero motioned for Lillian to start.

"When we were outed by the mole, Vega's men killed the other agents immediately, but because I was a woman, they took me".

I knew where this was going and I felt sick to my stomach. My eyes cut to Montero. I didn't think he needed to hear this.

"No" Lillian said "he should stay. He should know."

I nodded.

"There was a man. I had seen him around, but I thought he was one of Vega's men. He tried to get to me, but couldn't get me out when all hell broke loose. There were too many of Vega's men. He told me to do whatever I had to do to stay alive and he would find me. I'm not sure why, but I believed him."

I felt alternately hot and cold. I swallowed hard to keep from being sick.

Lillian sat straighter in her chair and her voice came out clear "Vega's men took me. They raped and tortured me. I would have given up, but I believed that man. I believed he would come for me. There was something in his eyes when he said it that made me believe him, so I did what I had to do to stay alive. I was in pretty bad shape. I was badly beaten and pretty torn up. I thought one of Vega's men was coming to either kill me or take another turn with me, but it was the stranger. He got me out."

Lillian's voice trailed off and I wasn't sure if she was going to keep going, but she did. "He took care of me. He hid us from Vega's men. That man carried me through the jungle for days. He was gentle and so very respectful the whole time. I had a lot of wounds." Her voice trailed off again. I'd seen the kind of wounds that come from rape and torture, and I knew the fact that she had been treated with dignity meant everything.

"He took me to a family and made sure I got medical care and that I was stable before he left. He seemed to know who I was, so I figured he must also be with one of the agencies. He only asked one thing of me. He asked that I stay hidden until he sent for me. He said if I turned up in the States it would raise too many questions and I would be in danger. He said he needed time to take out the rest of Vega's operation and flush out the mole."

She stopped and looked over at Montero and then continued. "After everything he did for me, it was the one thing I could do for him. I did as he asked. Four days ago, he brought me a package with a fake passport, money and the name of a contact. And, here I am. I don't know the man's name, not his real name anyway, but Montero said you might know. That man saved my life."

I was pretty sure I knew exactly who she was talking about. "What did he look like?"

He was Latino. Dark hair, dark eyes. Tall, probably close to six feet. He had a muscular build. He was gorgeous." Lillian blushed as she said it and I saw her glance at Montero.

I pulled out my phone and pulled up a picture of Ranger and showed her. She took the phone and used her finger to trace Ranger's face. "Yes" she said "that's him. Who is he?"

"His name is Carlos Manoso."

Her eyes cut to mine. "Your name is Manoso" her voice trailed off and I saw shock and realization in her eyes.

"Yes" I said. "He's my husband." I couldn't look at Montero.

So, I thought Ranger was alive four days ago.

I asked Montero if he could have one of the agents drive me home. He said to take his car, and he and Lillian would catch a ride. I figured he didn't want Lillian or the agents to see me dragging a suitcase out of the car. Then everyone would know we spent the weekend together. I guess I was officially someone's dirty little secret now.

We said our goodbyes and I blindly drove Montero's car back to RangeMan. I wanted to cry, but I didn't think I had any tears left.

I thought about Montero. He must be feeling the same thing I was. His fiancée had been alive this whole time but had chosen not to contact him. Letting him believe for almost two years that she was dead. I knew he must feel betrayed and angry.

I couldn't believe that some cruel twist of fate had intertwined our lives the way it had. Ranger rescued Lillian and the two of them made pact to play dead. Montero and I ended up together because we thought they were dead. Now the four of us were forever linked. This was a clusterfuck of epic proportions. It was hard not to think of both Lillian and Ranger as selfish bastards, even though I knew that wasn't really fair.

Fuck fair, I was done with fair and I was done with being understanding. I certainly felt betrayed by Ranger. I was glad he was alive, but I was pissed. Ranger had a lot to answer for.


	12. Chapter 12

I got back to RangeMan and called Les and Tank to the conference room. Both could tell that something was wrong.

"Ranger is alive. Did the two of you know?" I could tell by the dumbstruck look on their faces neither had a clue. I told them what had happened and what I knew about the Vega operation.

Tank was not a guy that showed much emotion but I could tell he was pissed. The muscle twitching in his jaw was the only give away.

I figured Tank felt as betrayed as I did. Tank was Ranger's right-hand man and Ranger had left him in the dark. That had to hurt.

Les looked pale and a little sick. I figured I might need to call Montero and get Les into witness protection because if Ranger ever found out what we had done, I thought it was entirely possible Ranger would disappear Les cousin or not. My eyes locked with Les. I was pretty sure he was thinking the same thing.

Well, someone had been helping him. That much I was sure of. My eyes scanned the bullpen. Roman was watching intently.

"Roman" I bellowed "get in here." Roman waltzed in.

Tank and Les scattered. No one wanted to be in this line of fire.

Roman closed the blinds in the conference room and turned to face me. His expression neutral.

"In case you were wondering" I hissed "you are fucking fired. Now get your shit and get the fuck out."

Roman inclined his head. "Yes ma'am, but at least hear me out for a minute."

"No."

"Steph, I need to see this through. Ranger needs the support."

"So, you knew about this all along and you have been helping him." I couldn't believe I actually sounded rational.

Roman nodded.

"And you didn't think to tell me that Ranger wasn't dead? You let me suffer all this time." My hand went instinctively to my stomach.

"Why? How could you be so cruel?" Roman looked like I'd slapped him. "How could Ranger be so cruel?" I felt tears welling in my eyes.

Roman reached out for me. I jumped away from him. "Don't you fucking touch me" I hissed. Deep down I knew the person I should be mad at was Ranger, not Roman, but Ranger wasn't here. Ranger was never fucking here.

Roman put his hands up and stepped back. "Remember I told you I was captured by the Vega cartel?"

I nodded.

"I wasn't the only one. They captured Ranger as well. They tortured him for three days before he got away. They killed his brothers right in front of him. When he escaped, he told me he would come back for me. I told him to leave me. Not to risk himself for me."

Roman took a deep breath and his eyes got a faraway look in them. "I'm not sure how many days it was. I lost any sense of time. I figured he got smart and got the hell out. That would have been the smart thing to do. Ranger came back. He never stopped until he got the rest of us that were still alive out. That is who Ranger is. That is why I would follow him into hell. The minute Vega hurt people Ranger cared about Vega was a dead man."

"But all this time passed, years. Why now?"

"Ranger is a patient man. He knew he had to wait for the right opening."

"And coming to DC and taking those government contracts, that was always all about Vega?"

"Not entirely" Roman said not meeting my eyes.

Fresh anger hit me. Ranger moved us to DC knowing full well he was going after Vega. Ranger asked me to marry him, knowing he was going after Vega. I mean I had made such a big deal about loving all of him, but I never for one-minute thought he was always planning to leave.

"And you were what? Here to help him and spy on me?" I spat at him.

"He asked me to watch over you, yes."

A new wave of anger washed over me. "So, the bastard knew I lost my baby and he put getting Vega first." I shook my head. "Well, we all know where I stand, but I would hate to think Ranger's vendetta was more important than his son. Yet, here we are."

Roman was looking at me oddly. "Stephanie Ranger was here."

I gave an incredulous snort. "No, he wasn't that was Les with me." I thought it possible Roman may have suffered a head injury, which would be the only thing that could explain his completely stupid statement.

"No" Roman shook his head. "I mean yes, Les was with you in the delivery room. It all happened so fast there was just no time. The minute he heard, Ranger came to you. He was here. I am the one that had to distract Les and get him out of your room so that Ranger could be with you."

All this time I had thought it was Les. That I had confused Les and Ranger in my drug induce haze, but it had been Ranger that held me and rubbed my back murmuring in Spanish. I wasn't sure how to feel about that. He had come when I needed him, but had left me again knowing I would think it was all just a dream. I wanted to hate Ranger, but I couldn't.

Oh god I thought. What about Montero. Ranger knew about Montero. Embarrassment and shame washed over me in waves. I felt the bile rise in my throat and I thought I was going to be sick. Roman was watching me intently.

He must have guessed my thoughts. "I never told Ranger about Montero."

My eyes flew to his. "Why?"

"It never set well with me. I mean I understood Ranger had his reasons. He knew there was a mole. He was afraid they would be watching you and they might go after you to get to him if they thought he wasn't dead. Ranger was right, but I just thought there had to be another way."

My thoughts cut to Wyland. He had basically been stalking me since Ranger died.

"What is it?" Roman asked.

"Nothing. Rangers always right" I said bitterly. "No matter what the consequences."

Roman flinched. "Stephanie, I saw your grief and I saw that grief almost take you under. I wanted to help you but I didn't know how. Montero brought light back into your eyes. I didn't tell Ranger about Montero because it's not my story to tell. I failed you Stephanie. And so did Ranger." Roman paused and let that thought sit between us for a minute.

"You thought Ranger was dead, you didn't do anything wrong. Montero is a good man, and he loves you."

What was Roman saying? That I should ditch Ranger and stay with Montero because he was a better man?

Suddenly all my righteous indignation left me.

"And I love Ranger" I said. "I've always loved Ranger." And I knew it to be true. From practically the first moment I laid eyes on Ranger, I had loved him, and I knew I always would. No amount of time or distance would ever change that.

What I didn't tell Roman was that I loved Montero too. How was it that for the second time in my life, I was in love with two men?

I sighed. I was so very tired. "So, what do we need to do to bring Ranger home?"

"We need to keep supporting him with intel and resources and we have to find that mole" Roman stated.

I walked up to Roman and put my arms around him and pulled him to me for a hug. At first, he was stiff but then he relaxed into me and wrapped his arms around me. He hugged me back.

"Whatever you think you need to atone for" I told him "you don't. Know this. You are already a good man." I stepped away from Roman. Something flashed through his eyes. I think it might have been hope. I no longer thought Roman's eyes were like shark eyes. I thought his eyes looked soulful.

"Was hugging me so bad?" I thought we could both use a little levity.

"No", he said "but I thought you were probably going to stab me, so it took me a second to recognize I was still alive" Roman deadpanned.

I laughed. It sounded hollow even to my own ears. I mostly thought he was joking. "Let's get back to work."

"Yes ma'am."

Roman left and my eyes lit on the package that had been couriered over from Senator Lashley's office. I sat down and opened it up.

Most of the file was heavily redacted. If I had been looking for mission details I would have been out of luck, but I wasn't. I was looking for who had access. One name stuck out. Agent Wyland.

I picked up the phone and called Montero. I told him about Wyland. We agreed we should tail him.

"Let me get Lillian settled and I'll come get you" Montero said.

"No, you need to be with Lillian right now. Send Reyes." I was too raw to be around him, so I used Lillian as my chickenshit excuse.

Montero sighed. "I hate this."

"I know" I said and disconnected.

I called Tank and Les back in. Both looked as shellshocked as I felt. I told them about my suspicions about Wyland. We agreed that they would go sit on Ruiz and I would team up with Reyes to watch Wyland.


	13. Chapter 13

I looked down. I was still in the navy-blue pants and blue and white striped sweater I had worn sailing. Funny how your whole life could change in an instant. A person could be alive one minute and dead the next. I could be falling in love with an incredible man one minute and his dead fiancée could show up the next. You know the little things.

I raced upstairs and threw on my standard RangeMan uniform. I strapped on my nylon utility belt and slipped in my concealed boot knife. I pulled on a Kevlar vest and windbreaker and I was ready to go.

Reyes picked me up outside RangeMan. He nodded to me when I got in the car. Reyes was all geared up too. There was something in the air tonight. Reyes also felt it.

We didn't have a tracker on Wyland so we would have to find him first. Given it was late on a Sunday night, we figured we would start with his house. I didn't ask Reyes how he knew where Wyland lived. Normally finding information on FBI agents was hard, but I knew Kincaid had seriously scary search engines and contacts. Resources even RangeMan didn't have.

We were in luck, Wyland's wannabe truck was in the driveway. You know one of those trucks that's four-wheel drive, all jacked up with big tires and never leaves the beltway.

Wyland lived in a run-down single-family home in Columbia Heights. Columbia Heights was one of DC's neighborhoods in transition and still had some affordable housing. It was a weird mix of hope and despair.

The street was pretty quiet and we settled in.

I could see Reyes eyeing me. "What?" I snapped. I didn't bother to look at him.

"I just wanted to know if you were OK, that's all."

Way to be an ass I thought. He was only trying to be nice. I turned and looked at him. I could see the concern in his eyes. Reyes obviously knew about Lillian. Dead fiancées coming back to life would have made the bullpen gossip, but Reyes didn't know the half of it. I knew he wasn't read in on Ranger. Surprise I thought.

I gave him a half smile. "I will be."

He reached over and squeezed my hand.

A few minutes later we saw Wyland come out and get in his truck. We gave him some distance and then followed him.

Wyland headed towards a sparsely populated area with several abandoned warehouses. It was either a great place to meet a drug lord or the perfect place for a gangland hit. My spidey sense was vibrating.

"I don't like this" I said to Reyes. I could see by the tension in his jaw that he didn't like it either. We were hanging back about as far as we could and still maintain the tail.

I saw Wyland's truck turn a corner in the distance. Suddenly an SUV pulled in front of us. We slammed on the brakes, barely avoiding a collision. Reyes slammed the car in reverse, but I already knew it was too late.

A Dodge Charger careened in behind us. Four men got out guns drawn.

"Fuck" Reyes said and raised his hands.

We were pulled out of the vehicle, and held at gunpoint. I was pretty sure they were Vega's men. Wyland drove up and got out.

"Well look what we have here" he drawled. "Search them and let's go."

I could see them disarming Reyes out of the corner of my eye.

Wyland walked up to me, grabbed my hair and yanked my head back so I had to look at him. "I'm going to enjoy taking you down a notch, bitch."

"Fuck you Wyland" I said and kneed him in the balls. I had the satisfaction of at least seeing Wyland crumple to the ground in the fetal position before one of the men hit me in the head with the butt of their rifle and the world went black.

I'm not sure how long I was out, but when I came to, I had a vicious headache and my hands were zip tied in front of me. I was pretty sure I was in the trunk of the Charger with Reyes. I felt a warm body behind me and Reyes' arms were around me. His hands were zip tied as well but he had managed to get them around me so my head was resting on his arm rather than banging on the floor of the trunk.

"You awake" he asked.

"Hmmm"

"Do you think you have a concussion? The bleeding seems to have stopped."

"I think I'm OK. Did they search me?" I asked.

"They took your utility belt." I could tell my question confused him.

"Good" I said "then the distraction worked. I still have my boot knife." The trunk was too tight with both of us in it to wriggle down and check. I prayed it was still there.

I felt Reyes chuckle a little. "Well thank God Plum because I was afraid you had a death wish going after Wyland like that."

I thought about that for a minute. I was surprised to realize the answer was no. That hadn't been the case very long ago. I figured I'd keep that to myself.

"Men always underestimate women" I said by way of explanation. "In particular if your tits are hanging out, but a kick to the groin works too."

"Good to know" he said. I could feel him smiling.

"So, what's the plan?" I really hoped Reyes had one because I didn't.

"Stay alive and look for an opening." I thought that didn't sound like a particularly well-formed plan but I figured I didn't have anything better so I stayed silent.

"How long have we been in here?"

"About an hour, I think." We rode in silence for a few minutes. "And Plum" he said "I definitely don't underestimate you. I want you to know, I will do everything in my power to make sure they don't hurt you." I knew he meant it, and we both knew what they were probably going to do to both of us. The moment was intense.

"Just for record, I wouldn't say no to seeing your tits." We both snickered. A little gallows humor, I guess. We both knew we were probably going to die.

The car bumped along for what seemed like an eternity. When it finally stopped, we were hauled out of the trunk. My legs were numb and it took me a minute to gain my balance. I looked around. We were on some kind of a farm. I could see a farmhouse, a barn, and what looked to be an old mill. I had no clue where we were.

I still had my RangeMan watch on so I knew the control room could track me, but they had no reason to believe I was in trouble. At least this way they could probably locate whatever shallow grave Wyland threw me I thought bitterly.

A minute later I saw Vega. He and Wyland were arguing and gesturing at us. I didn't think that was a good sign.

Wyland stalked over and grabbed me and shoved me in front of him towards Vega. I saw them take Reyes towards the barn.

When Wyland pushed me in front of Vega, I saw surprise register on his face. I vaguely wondered how Vega had slipped surveillance, but I figured Wyland had probably arranged something.

"See Vega, I told you it was the same bitch" Wyland snarled.

Vega cupped my chin in his hand and looked at my face. "So, it is" he said. "You made a convincing whore." I'm pretty sure that wasn't supposed to be a compliment. "Did Montero know?"

I shook my head "No, he didn't know."

"So why were you at the party?" he asked.

I decided to go with the truth. "My name is Stephanie Manoso" my voice was flat "and you killed my husband."

Vega sucked in a breath. Obviously, Ranger could still scare the crap out of people even from the grave.

"Idiota" he hissed at Wyland. "Have your fun and then dispose of her quickly." Vega turned and strode towards the house. The four men than had been with Wyland followed Vega.

Wyland pulled out his gun and pointed me to the barn. I was praying I wouldn't find Reyes there with a bullet to the brain. I was pushed through the door and located Reyes. He was hanging by his hands from a hook. His feet barely touched the ground. He looked otherwise untouched. We locked eyes.

Wyland pushed me forward. I was about fifteen to twenty feet from Reyes. Wyland motioned for me to stop. "That's far enough. I want your boyfriend over there to be able to get a good view. He might like the show." Wyland reached out and ran his gun down my chest. The man was a complete nut. I had a Kevlar vest on. It was impossible to even tell if I had breasts.

Seriously I thought what is it with men. Always with the sexual violence and threats of rape. I knew it was about power, but I guess I figured this is one area where men got lucky. Usually, they just got beat to death or shot.

"So, you're the mole? Why would you sell out your own teammates?"

Wyland shrugged. "Money, what else?" He looked at me like I was stupid.

"Then why did you order the hit on Vega? Why kill the cash cow?"

Wyland's eyes showed a spark of surprise. "Vega was getting squirrely and then I saw you at the party. I knew he had been compromised. I figured it was just as easy to trade-up. Besides, Vega's power was waning. I don't like to be on the losing team."

"You have been sharing information with other cartels besides Vega." It was a statement more than a question. I wondered how many operations Wyland had compromised and how many people had died because of his greed.

Wyland took a knife and cut the zip ties on my hands. "Enough talking. Take off your clothes" he commanded. I just stood there.

"No" I said.

Wyland pointed the gun at my head. "I said take them off."

"No" I said again. "You can just shoot me."

I could see Reyes behind Wyland struggling to get free, he was shaking his head and his eyes looked frantic.

Wyland put the gun to my forehead and stared at me. I waited calmly for him to pull the trigger. Maybe I was wrong, maybe I still had a death wish or maybe I just didn't expect I'd ever be old, and that was OK by me.

Whatever Wyland saw in my eyes it must have convinced him that I was serious. He stepped back from me. He looked a little stumped. Wyland was never the brightest bulb in the pack.

He swung the gun to Reyes. "Take off your clothes or I'll kill him."

"Don't do it Steph, he's going to kill me anyway" Reyes said. His voice was calm and clear.

"No" I said and stepped between Reyes and Wyland. "I'll do it. Just don't hurt him."

I stepped slightly to the side. I needed Wyland to take his focus off of Reyes. Wyland turned towards me and motioned with his gun to get on with it.

I undid the straps of my Kevlar vest. I was moving like molasses. I knew Reyes was working to get loose and I wanted to give him as much time as possible.

I pulled the vest off and tossed it to the side.

"Your shirt" Wyland barked. He was clearly enjoying the power.

"Steph please don't do it" Reyes implored. "He is going to kill me anyway."

"Shut-up Reyes, you are not dying on my watch." I locked eyes with him willing him to understand.

"Shirt NOW!" Wyland bellowed.

I took the hem of my t-shirt. My stomach was roiling. I hoped I didn't puke. I pulled it up and over my head.

I was still wearing the stupid lacy pink bra that Les had bought for my weekend with Montero. God, had all that just happened today? I thought about how happy I'd been this morning, and now I was about to be raped and murdered by a dirty FBI agent, and he would probably get away with it. They always did.

Wyland clearly liked the bra. He was hard and rubbing himself. I actually did gag at that sight.

He took the gun and ran it over my breasts and down my belly. He motioned for me to keep going. He held the gun on me with one hand and unzipped his pants with the other. I risked a quick glance at Reyes. He was at least making progress.

I reached behind me and unhooked my bra. I wasn't sure I could do this. Maybe Reyes was right. I should just let him kill us both and get it over with. I took a deep breath and pulled my bra off.

Wyland grabbed my breast and yanked hard on my nipple. I didn't flinch and I didn't make a sound. I wasn't about to give him the satisfaction. He kept squeezing and twisting for what seemed like an eternity. I stared straight ahead and didn't move. I knew if I lived, I would have quite the collection of bruises.

Wyland grabbed my hand and pressed it to his erection. "Feel that baby, that is all for you."

I looked him in the face. "Actually" I said "I don't feel much of anything." Now I at least understood his unnatural obsession with his gun.

He sucked in a sharp breath jerked away from me and pistol whipped me. I could taste the blood in my mouth and blood was starting to trickle out my nose.

"Pants now" he growled.

I stood there frozen. He pointed the gun at Reyes. "Ok" I said and reached for the snap on my cargo pants. I unsnapped and unzipped them.

Wyland put the gun to my temple and took the other hand and shoved it down my pants. He pushed his fingers inside me and yanked me forward. I cried out from the shock and pain. He shoved his fingers in and out of me. "Do you like that bitch." I stood statue still. I would not give him the pleasure of seeing me react again.

Frustrated, he stepped back. "Take off your pants."

"I need to take off my boots" I said with my voice trembling. I didn't even have to fake the tremor.

"Fine."

I bent down and pretended to start unlacing my boot and palmed the knife. I glanced at Reyes. I knew he'd seen the move.

I stood up. "No" I said. I needed Wyland to take the gun off me for just a second. Predictably he swung to point the gun at Reyes and I pounced.

I shoved the blade into his throat. Wyland dropped the gun and started clawing at his throat. He was making gurling sounds, his eyes wide with shock.

I got right in his face and looked him in the eye. This is for Lillian I said and twisted the knife and then pulled it out. He fell backward still clawing at his throat gasping for air. He was a dead man, he just didn't know it yet.

I raced over to Reyes and cut him down.

I saw Reyes' eyes focus behind me. He wrapped his arms around me and swung me in front of him shielding my body with his. I heard the gunfire and felt Reyes' body jerk twice when he got hit in the back. I prayed the bullets had hit Reyes in the vest, and not somewhere more vital. We went down with a bone jarring thud.

I hoped Reyes was just knocked out and not dead but I had no idea. I scrambled for Wyland's weapon and fired at the gunman taking him down.

There were at least three others out there plus Vega. I was sure they heard the shots and would be coming. Reyes was too heavy to move and there was nowhere to hide him anyway.

I didn't know if Reyes was dead or alive, but I knew if I didn't draw the others away from him, he would for sure be dead.

I scrambled up. I didn't bother with my shirt I just grabbed the Kevlar vest and threw it on and ran to the barn door.

There were three men running towards the barn, weapons drawn. I made sure they saw me and then took off at a run towards the outbuildings.

They were firing at me. It was clear their orders were to kill on sight. Apparently, Vega didn't have any grand plans for me. That, I guess, should be a relief.

I ran towards the old mill and burst through the door. I looked around in a panic. Shit. There was nowhere to hide. Clearly this had not been the best laid plan. I grabbed the ladder and climbed up to the loft. I figured I might be able to get the drop on them. I checked the gun. I had four bullets left, and probably seconds to live.

If I could take out the men following me, I could use the beam to cross from the loft to the small window. I might be able to jump into the water, swim to shore out of sight and get the drop on Vega. Assuming I didn't break my fool neck it might work. It wasn't much of a plan but it was all I had.

The three men burst through the door looking around. It is a well-known fact humans rarely look up. I'd read that somewhere and it turns out it was true in this case. I took out all three of them in rapid succession and started across the beam towards the window.

As bad luck would have it, there was a fifth guy. He burst through the door as I was trying to balance my way across the beam to the window. I was a sitting duck.

He fired at me. Lucky for me he wasn't a particularly good shot. The first bullet grazed by me, knocking me slightly off balance. I kept going. I wasn't so lucky with the second bullet. It hit me square in the back and I lost my balance and fell.

It is funny how your mind works when you are about to die. As I was falling, I thought this is probably really going to hurt.

I hit the rotted wood with a crash, it splintered and gave way. Suddenly, I was enveloped in icy cold water and inky blackness. I was in a cistern.

The bullet had knocked the wind out of me and the fall had done the rest. I was disoriented. I had no idea which way was up and I had no breath left to figure it out.

The Kevlar vest was heavy and dragging me down. I was about to lose consciousness. I knew I was going to drown. I thought belatedly that maybe that dream hadn't actually been a nightmare. Maybe it had merely been a premonition.

I closed my eyes and let go and started to drift down. It would be a good death I thought.

I felt hands grab onto me. Strong, warm arms wrapped around me, but I knew I must just be mistaken. I let the blackness take me.

What the hell, someone was shaking me. Why was someone shaking me. I was dead. Of course, I was surprised that my lungs burned and it was cold when you were dead, but what did I know. It wasn't like I'd been dead before.

The shaking was insistent, and I swear I heard "Babe, come on wake up."

I knew that wasn't possible. Ranger was gone. Ranger had been gone for a long time.

"Babe, I need you to wake up." I felt warm strong arms holding me and I felt safe.

I popped open one eye and then the other. Ranger's face swam into view. I knew I must be dead for sure. "Am I dead?"

I saw Ranger smile. "No, you are going to be just fine" and Ranger kissed me. I kissed him back and desire swirled through me. If this was a dream, I was really liking it.

"Hey there" I said and burst into tears.

Ranger held me and rocked me for a minute. He pressed his cheek to mine and held me. "You're Ok. You're safe" he said over and over.

The Kevlar vest was gone, and I was wrapped in Ranger's windbreaker. I was still shaking. I saw someone hand Ranger a blanket that he wrapped around me.

It was Roman.

I sat up. I cradled Ranger's face in my hands and kissed him. I put my forehead to his.

"You have a lot to answer for" I said and held him closer.

"I know."

We sat there for a couple of minutes until the shakes subsided. Ranger and I stood up. I needed answers and we needed to finish this.


	14. Chapter 14

I saw Les and Tank approaching. Both looked grim and seriously pissed off.

Les walked right up to Ranger and punched him in the face. Ranger didn't duck, raise his hands, or try to defend himself in any way. He just stood there and took the punch.

"You selfish bastard" Les spat at him "how could you do this to Stephanie. How you could you do this to any of us?"

I put my hand on Les' chest. "Not now" I barked.

Les looked down at me like he hadn't known I was there, and slightly shook his head. He pulled Ranger into a hug and I saw Ranger hug him back. "It's good to have you back man" Les said.

Men, the mysteries of life I thought.

"Report!" Ranger and I barked in unison.

Three sets of eyes cut to Ranger. Ranger put up his hands in surrender. "Sorry, Babe it's your show." Ranger took a step back.

I looked back to Tank. "All of the shooters are down."

I saw Montero walking up. Montero and Ranger were eyeing each other.

"I don't know if I should punch you or thank you" Montero said to Ranger.

"Probably both" Ranger replied.

"And Vega?" I asked trying to keep yet another fist fight from breaking out. Ranger already had a split lip.

"Vega's dead. Looks like friendly fire from one of his own men" Tank said.

"Friendly fire?" I made it sound like a question.

"Yes ma'am" Tank responded.

"For friendly fire it seems Vega got shot in all the best places" Montero drawled. "One to the heart and one to the head." Clearly Montero wasn't buying the friendly fire story.

My eyes locked with Roman. He gave me a slight nod and I gave him one back. I knew as sure as I was standing here that Roman had shot Vega. I found that knowledge didn't bother me a bit.

"Is there any reason to believe it wasn't friendly fire" I said to Montero. I knew there was a slight challenge to my voice.

Montero thought for a minute "Nope" he said letting the p make a little popping sound. I gave him a slight incline of my head.

"What about Reyes? Is he OK?" I asked.

Just then Reyes walked up "Of course I am darlin'. I have to say Plum, you kind of scare me." Reyes picked me up in a big bear hug. "I like that in a woman."

We hugged and laughed and he put me back down. I knew right then Reyes and I would never speak of what Wyland had done to me. He would never make me relive it, and I would never forget the horror of it. Wyland was dead and that was all that mattered to the both of us. How it happened was immaterial.

Ranger's eyes were slightly narrowed and he was studying us. I figured this was one of those things Ranger probably didn't need to know.

Roman, Reyes, Tank and Les ambled off to get more information and start giving statements.

Montero, Ranger and I were left. I realized instinctively I had moved to stand side-by-side with Montero. I knew that move hadn't been missed by Ranger or Montero. I suddenly felt very self-conscious.

I saw the minute Ranger sensed Lillian. She had gotten out of the car and was walking up behind Ranger. I felt a little pang of jealousy that Ranger could sense her presence.

He turned and walked to her, enveloping her in a hug. She leaned into him and wrapped her arms around him. He was talking quietly to her.

I saw a flash of pain go across Montero's face and he turned to look away from them. "You know she won't let me touch her at all" he said. "I'm not even talking intimately, I'm talking hug her or hold her hand. She flinches away from me. Yet, look at her. She's literally wrapped around Manoso clinging to him like he is a lifeline."

"Because he is" I said simply. "Ranger rescued her. He treated her with kindness and dignity. She trusts him." I shrugged. "Ranger just has that way about him." I thought about the countless times that Ranger had soothed me. How he knew just what to say. Just how to touch me.

"It may take some time but she will respond to you the same way. Just give her some space".

"I hope so" he sounded sad.

I gestured my head towards them. "They are our miracles."

Montero's fingers were slightly brushing mine. "Yeah" he said "but at what cost."

I couldn't answer that, so I didn't.

I didn't see Montero or Lillian again. The rest of us spent the next few hours giving our statements. Director Barnes showed up. He thanked us for our help exposing Wyland as the mole. I figured having a grateful FBI director was good for RangeMan, but I still thought Wyland had gotten off too easy.

Barnes said they were cutting Ruiz loose. With Vega dead and his operations dismantled, Ruiz wasn't much use to them. I figured Ruiz would be dead by morning, and I figured that was just OK by me.

Finally, we were cleared to go. Ranger pulled me to him. "I missed you Babe."

I didn't say anything. I was glad Ranger was alive, but Ranger had a lot to answer for.

Ranger was doing that thing where he measured your heart rate and peeked into your soul. Ranger sighed. "I know" he said.

When Ranger and I got back to the apartment he looked over at me.

"Babe, do we need to get you a doctor?" It was his matter-of-fact voice.

I waved my hand dismissively. "No, I'm fine."

"Babe, I found you in a Kevlar vest with no shirt, no bra, bruises all over your torso and your pants were undone." I could see a muscle ticking in Ranger's jaw. The only give-away that he was upset.

"No, it was nothing." I thought, with just the slightest bit of hysteria, that it was just another day at the office. Being fondled, groped and assaulted by deranged psychopaths had become my new normal.

"Anything I should know?"

I thought about that for a beat. Did Ranger need to know I'd been sexually assaulted by Wyland in front of Reyes? That I'd stood there and let him do it, luring him in, and then I'd struck with lethal speed and extreme prejudice. That I'd become an apex predator.

I decided that was probably one of those things best left in the Ranger doesn't need to know file. Maybe I'd tell him someday. Maybe I wouldn't. I was beginning to understand why Ranger kept so many things to himself. Talking about them was painful, but mostly you figured if people knew the truth, you would become one of those people they crossed the street to avoid.

"Nope" I said letting the p make a little popping sound.

Ranger nodded. He came to me and crouched down in front of me and said "Tell me what I can to do fix this. I'll do anything."

I just stared at Ranger blankly.

"Please Babe."

I snapped. All the anger, betrayal and grief came pouring out. "You can't just waltz in here and say Babe and think everything is going to be OK. You let me think you were dead. You didn't trust me. You didn't see me as a partner. You didn't love me enough!"

Ranger actually flinched back from me when I spat the last part at him. He put up his hands in surrender, stood, and stepped back.

"I fucked up, and I'm sorry. I will spend the rest of my life fixing this, please just tell me we have a chance."

I was a little startled. I guess I'd never thought giving up on Ranger was ever an option. "Things will have to change."

"Ok, I'll do anything."

I cocked my brow at him. "You may want to hear my terms before you agree."

"I don't need to hear the terms. The answer is yes. I love you. I know I can be a selfish bastard, but I can also change."

I did a mental head slap to make sure I wasn't hallucinating. Had Ranger really just said that? OK, I thought here it goes.

"No more making decisions and then telling me about them. We make decisions together, and by that I don't mean you hear me out and then go do what you want anyway." I saw Ranger's lip twitch into an almost smile.

"Go on" he said.

"No more of this mysterious bullshit. You answer my questions. All my questions. I mean I don't even know what your favorite color is." I was on a roll now.

"Done" Ranger said. "Anything else."

I look at him dumbstruck. Just like that. No hesitation, no qualifiers, no nothing.

"Yes, I want to have ice cream in the house and cream in my coffee."

"Babe, I never said you couldn't have those things. I just don't eat them. I never meant that you couldn't. I'm sorry if you think I'm that controlling of a bastard."

I realized that was true. Ranger had never asked me to change. He had never demanded anything from me. He had always loved me just as I was. Ranger was always there for me and Ranger always had my back. It had been my own insecurities that lead me to believe I needed to change to please Ranger. That was suddenly very clear to me.

"And for the record my favorite color is blue, like your eyes" Ranger said.

I snapped out of the ice cream rabbit hole. OK, I thought we can make this work. Then I thought about Les. Yeah, Ranger was never going to know about that. That was one of those things I filed under the Ranger never needs to the know file.

That file seemed to be growing pretty quickly. I had a momentary pang. I was being a little bit of a hypocrite. I had just demanded Ranger tell me everything, while systematically deciding to keep secrets from Ranger. Maybe there was a middle ground.

Suddenly shame and embarrassment washed over me. Forget Les. Les was one night. Montero was not. I'd fallen in love with Montero. That wasn't something that so easy to forget or forgive. I'd done the ultimate betrayal.

I swallowed past the lump in my throat and when I spoke my voice was barely above a whisper. "Ranger, I thought you were dead. There are things that you should probably know." I thought it was entirely possible this confession would end our relationship. I didn't know how Ranger could ever forgive me. I wasn't sure I could ever forgive myself.

Ranger put his fingers on my lips. "No Babe, there is nothing I need to know. Whatever happened or didn't happen, whatever you did or didn't do it doesn't matter. Whatever it was, it was my fault. There is nothing to forgive, because you did nothing wrong. I don't care about what happened while I was gone. I only care about what happens moving forward. I love you."

Ranger pulled out a jeweler's box. He opened it up. Inside was my engagement ring. I guess he had gotten from Les.

"I know I have a lot to make up for, but when you're ready, if you are ever ready, put your ring back on."

"I don't know Ranger, a lot has happened."

"I know, but I'd wait for you for eternity. I'm a patient guy." Ranger gave me a sad smile and kissed me gently on the lips.

"I thought I was busy fixing my Karma and making amends by going after Vega, but I realize that isn't true. The amends I need to make are with you, Tank, and Les. You're my family and that is where my focus should be. There will always be a Vega, but that can be someone else's problem from now on."

That all sounded good I thought, but I wasn't so sure I was ready to buy what Ranger was selling this time.


	15. Chapter 15

As I laced up my sneakers for my morning run, I thought back over the last few months. A lot had changed. Some of it good. Some of it not.

Les left DC to run a new RangeMan branch in New York. It was a great opportunity for him, but I still miss him. I think Les wanted the opportunity, but I think he was also running from Ranger. Les is a smart man.

Les and I both felt incredibly guilty about our one night. Even though we both knew we didn't do anything wrong, we still felt like somehow, we had betrayed Ranger. That we gave up on him when we shouldn't have. We felt guilty for Ranger's betrayal of us. How fucked up was that.

Ranger can do that thing where he takes your vitals and looks inside your soul. I think Les and I were both a little worried that a touch, a glance, a memory might give us away, and then where would we be? I grimaced. I was pretty sure I knew where Les wouldn't be if Ranger ever found out.

Les and I still talk and text, but it isn't the same without him. He sounds happy. I'm at least glad for that. I miss my friend.

Ranger and Tank seem to have worked things out. Basically, they beat the hell out of each other for a few weeks, and came to an understanding. I don't think a single word ever passed between them.

It must be nice to be a man I thought. Just punch a few things and the world is back to normal. Well, maybe not entirely back to normal. Tank never kept secrets from Ranger, but now Tank keeps mine. I think Ranger senses that Tank and I have our secrets. Ranger accepts it.

Ranger and I have started to settle back into a routine. Ranger never asked about Montero and I never told. Ranger has been true to his word. He only focuses on the here and now and our life moving forward.

We opened the house in Annapolis back-up and started spending more time there. We are working to find a new balance between work and our relationship. I don't think either of us will ever be cut out for normal, but that's just OK with us.

Ranger and I make love every day. Ranger is still magic. Passion was never the issue between us, it was always commitment. Ironically it still is.

Ranger is in love with me and wants to get married. I am in love with Ranger, but I'm just not so sure about the marriage thing anymore. Ranger accepts that and works every day to change my mind.

That's the thing about Ranger. It's one of his Zen things. Ranger always accepts life as it is and works the problem. Right now, I'm the problem he is working.

Ranger and I remain in an uneasy truce. Things have gotten better, but I remain unable, or maybe it is unwilling, to forgive him completely and trust him. It's one of those things. I trust Ranger with my life, but I don't know if I will ever fully trust Ranger again with my heart.

Ranger is a patient man.

Ranger came into the bedroom "Want me to run with you?"

"No."

Ranger always asks and I always say no, but every day he comes back and tries again. My morning run has been my refuge the last few months. A place where I can be alone with my thoughts. Sometimes I run with Roman and sometimes I run with Reyes, but mostly I run alone.

Just like every morning, rain or shine, I run past the Lincoln Memorial. And, just like every morning I feel Montero's presence. I figured he came here to clear his head just like I did. I never saw him, I only felt him, but today I need to talk to him.

I run up the stairs and take a seat and wait. I haven't seen Montero since the night at the farm. I'd heard he went back the US Marshals. I sometimes do work with Reyes at Kincaid Securities, so I hear things. Reyes has become a good friend. I guess the bond that forms when someone saves your life is one of those unique and unbreakable things.

A few days after the farm, Reyes just showed up one day and joined me on my run. He didn't say anything, just started jogging. I think at first he was trying to make sure I wasn't on the verge of a meltdown. Between the Wyland incident and the resurrection of two dead fiancées, he knew it had been tough. I never felt compelled to talk about it and he never asked, but it was good to know he was there if I needed him. We have an unspoken bond. I'd travel into hell if he asked me and he would do the same for me.

I understand a lot more about Ranger and Roman than I use to.

Apparently, Montero wasn't a big fan of the whole mercenary thing. That doesn't surprise me, he was always such an open book and a straight shooter. After Vega, I realized I was a lot more like Ranger than I was Montero. I live in the gray, and I am mostly OK with that.

A few beats went by and I wondered if maybe Montero wasn't really here. I just wished that he was.

I see him materialize at the base of the stairs. He is bathed in the early morning sunlight. He still takes my breath away. He's smiles at me and I jog down to meet him.

I want to launch myself in his arms, but instead I wave at him. "Hey there."

I still miss Montero, and sometimes I'm sad when I think about what might have been. Late at night when the demons and the doubts creep in, I wonder if I had met Montero first, would I have still fallen in love with Ranger? I shake my head against that thought. No good can come from the what if game. I figure I'll probably always miss Montero just a little.

"Hey there yourself" he responds.

"I wanted to talk to you."

Montero looks a little wary. "OK."

We sit down on the stairs.

"How are you?" I ask.

"Coping, and you?"

"You know, coping" I reply. "How's Lillian?"

"She's getting better. She's been in intensive therapy. Things are far from normal, but we keep moving forward every day." I could see the tension in his shoulders when he said it. I knew he was trying hard to convince himself.

I'd been there so I knew the drill. I'd spent a decade trying to work out a relationship with a guy I'd dated in high school. Dated assuming a twenty-minute fuck behind the éclair counter of the Tasty Pastry counted as dating. We were on-again, off-again for years before finally realizing we were with the wrong people. We had missed our window, and I was afraid Lillian and Montero had missed theirs. I decided it was better if I kept that to myself.

"I'm opening a new division of RangeMan and I wanted to offer Lillian a job." I knew Lillian didn't want to go back to the Bureau, but I also knew she needed something besides therapy to be passionate about. I knew a woman like Lillian needed to take action, be in control. I hoped that giving Lillian an outlet and a job that she was invested in would help her recovery. Montero deserved that.

"A new division? The rest of RangeMan isn't a big enough challenge?" he asked laughing.

I shrugged. "You know you can't have two alpha dogs in the same kennel. Ranger is back to running RangeMan. RangeMan was his brain child. It was always his company, I just took care of it for a while when he was gone."

"Ranger is a lucky man." I was pretty sure Montero wasn't talking about RangeMan when he said it.

"I'm opening an all-female protection division. Senator Lashley was our first client and we have several other requests. I'm also working with Senator Lashley on the human trafficking task force. I thought that it might interest Lillian, but I wanted to talk to you before I called her. I wanted to make sure you are OK with it."

Ranger had handed over the reins of everything he owned. Everything he had built. I had been free to do anything I wanted with them, and he had trusted me. I realized that now. He had left me with financial security, a support system, and the opportunity to find my own way. That knowledge, of course, didn't mean I wasn't still incredibly mad that he had left and let me think he was dead. Ranger still has a lot to answer for.

I had made some good decisions, and I had made some bad ones. I was the one that had decided to punish myself by withdrawing from things that brought me joy. I was the one that thought I had to pretend to be Ranger to run RangeMan instead of realizing I could forge my own way. I am the one that had decided to dress like queen of the damned. Yeah, that still brought a little twinge of embarrassment, but I have to say there is something to be said for black covering blood stains.

Turns out, I didn't need to do any of those things, but I wouldn't change one minute of it. Well, OK maybe I would have kept the ice cream, but the journey led me to find my passion and my focus. I'd been struggling for years with no clear life goals. Floundering, trying to find my place. Now I have.

I'm passionate about helping victims of human trafficking and making a difference, especially in the lives of women. I have a powerful ally in Senator Lashley and big plans for my new division. Maybe I'll spin it off and call it RangeWoman. The thought makes me smile. I may not be Indiana Jones just yet, but I have definitely found my Ark of the Covenant.

Montero was studying me intently. "Why?"

"Lillian is important to Ranger, and Lillian is important to you. That makes her important to me" I said simply.

Montero weighed that for a minute. "That's good enough for me. I think it would be great. I think she would really like that."

"Good, I'll be in touch with her."

We stood up to leave, and Montero pulled me into a hug. I wrapped my arms around him and rested my head on his chest. He was warm and smelled of spice. I could feel his heart beating slow and steady in his chest.

I felt him rest his chin on the top of my head and whisper "Tell me we made the right choice Plum."

Tears prickle my eyes. I couldn't tell him that, so I take a deep breath and look up in his beautiful blue eyes. "We made the only choice there was to make." And, that I knew was the truth.

He gave me a rueful smile and kissed me on the forehead.

"I'll see you around" I said and started to jog off.

"Hey Plum" he called. I turned around and he grinned at me. "You still owe me that hot chocolate."

I grinned back. "Maybe we can go for ice cream one of these days" I called back.

"I'd really like that" he said.

I jogged home and let myself in the apartment. I felt lighter than I had in a while. Ranger had taught me there were many kinds of love. I realized it was possible to love two men, even if it is in different ways. Montero and I could be friends, and that was good enough for me. We were going to be OK.

I looked at my engagement ring sitting in the box on the dresser. Ranger and I had already wasted so much time. Why was I wasting more time punishing him for being who he was? I loved Ranger. I always would and nothing was ever going to change that. Ranger loved me. All of me and I had pledged to love all of him the good, the bad and the gray and that is exactly what I was going to do.

I walked over to the dresser and picked up the ring and slipped it on. The weight felt comforting on my finger. I felt at peace with everything that had happened and at ease with my decision.

A while later I heard Ranger come into the apartment. I went out to greet him. Ranger's eyes immediately cut to my finger and then back to my face.

It two strides he was in front of me. He pulled me to him and gave me a soul searing kiss that curled my toes. I felt love and desire wash over me.

"About time" he growled against my ear.

"Babe" I said.

Ranger grinned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this story. Reviews and feedback are always appreciated.


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